'Profoundly affected' | Woman sacked for taking time off after miscarriage wins legal case

A woman who was sacked for taking time off following a pregnancy miscarriage has been awarded more than £10,000 by an employment tribunal.

As first reported by The Herald, Ashley Stokes suffered the loss of her baby in August 2020 and received a dismissal letter from letting firm Glenham Property just three weeks later.

According to the employment tribunal documents, Stokes took several days of annual leave following her tragic loss, before being signed off sick by her GP for a week, which was later extended by another week.

But during this time, according to the legal documents, Stokes received a letter notifying her of the termination of her job at Glenham Property. The letter explained that her dismissal was due to “poor performance leading to gross misconduct due to loss of monetary assets due to malpractice in turn breaching diligence” and “Not being fit to complete your role within the company as per Employment Act 1996 83.1 amend 2020.” The letter went on to state: “Sadly we will not accept another sick line.”