T&T maternity rights: prenatal care

Q: I'm 5 months pregnant and I have been employed with a company for over 4 years now. Due to many complications in my pregnancy, I have to attend clinic regularly. However, my employer refuses to pay me for my clinic days because he’s not familiar with this being law. He even went as far as to get his consultant involved and apparently his consultant does not know about this either. I am beginning to think that I am the wrong one here; am I supposed to get paid for my clinic days or not?

A: Guide your employer to the Maternity Protection Act 1998:

• 7. (4) An employee who is pregnant and who has, on the written advice of a qualified person, made an appointment to attend at any place for the purpose of receiving prenatal medical care shall, subject to this Act, have the right not to be unreasonably refused time off during her working hours to enable her to keep the appointment.
• 7. (5) An employee who is permitted to take time off during her working hours, in accordance with subsection (4), shall be entitled to receive pay from her employer for the period of absence.

According to health professionals, reasonable prenatal visits should be:

• Weeks 4 to 28: 1 prenatal visit a month

• Weeks 28 to 36: 1 prenatal visit every 2 weeks

• Weeks 36 to 40: 1 prenatal visit every week

Now, if you’re having complications and your time off is more than this, then you may be hindering the operations of the company, and then I can see the employer having an issue. But that’s another complication by itself.