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Posted by Dragonfly (U2223700) on Monday, 22nd February 2010
Tayler, the obsessives amongst us would find it very useful to know if Helen is a partner in an unincorporated business (ie self-employed) or an employee of a company, as it makes quite a difference to her plans to take maternity leave and her assumption that she will get maternity pay during that time. Do you have any information on this?
Thanks!
If she is an employee she would get Statutory Maternity Pay
(Pat & Tony probably qualify for Small Employers' Relief)
and if she is self-employed she would get Maternity Allowance
I still want the answer to question 1 though. (And preferably a summary of the whole family's business accounts for the last couple of years.)
If she was self-employed she would have no statutory right to maternity leave - she would be depending on the family's goodwill to make cover arrangements, wouldn't she? Also, that maternity allowance is presumably far lower than her salary from the family business.
As in so many instances, the storyline would be far more understandable to us listeners if we knew what sort of money was involved. In my experience the Prod Team have always been extremely reluctant to divulge financial details.
I am unable to think of any examples of fiction or drama where such information has been supplied. For good reason.
She'd get the 39 weeks, wouldn't she?
She would get some money for 39 weeks, LJG, but my point is that if Helen is a partner in the true sense, and not a director/employee, she has no rights whatsoever to maternity leave (ie the right to go back to her job after an agreed period of leave, unpaid or not). She would be dependent on the good will of the other partners to allow that.
It would be analogous to this situation:
Helen does not have any employment status because she is a fictional character. The writers will give her whatever employment status that it is necessary for the plotline. Anything not already written about can be made up as needed.
, in reply to message 1.
Posted by Tayler Cresswell - Host (U14232848) on Tuesday, 23rd February 2010
Tayler, the obsessives amongst us would find it very useful to know if Helen is a partner in an unincorporated business (ie self-employed) or an employee of a company, as it makes quite a difference to her plans to take maternity leave and her assumption that she will get maternity pay during that time.Â
Hi Dragonfly
I will see what I can find out on this.
Tayler
Thanks, Tayler.
Urban Fox, yes, of course Helen is fictional. However, if the writers do something inconsistent with real life or with an earlier statement we will never hear the end of it here. That's one reason why I would like some reassurance that they've thought this through.
I don't really think inconsistencies matter much. Especially when they deaden the drama.
, in reply to message 11.
Posted by nesta vipers (U2256451) on Thursday, 25th February 2010
<...consistent with real life>
hmm. not sure what `real life` we are referring to here, but the family businesses I know of will usually go on paying partners/directors as normal (ie without going down the mat. leave claims etc) - esp if they are limited cos. it would be very unlikely they are suddenly going to `up` and tell Helen her job is filled when she wants to go back to work! ambridge muddlers or whatever they call themselves are not enormous and will miss a pair of working hands hugely - in such a case there is a lot of give and take in my experience.
I`ve noticed elsewhere that there is a lot of attention to the details of Helen`s position/remuneration etc which seems to worry a lot of you - she won`t be working for nothing and she won`t be taking a year`s maternity leave and standing on her legal rights - family businesses just don`t function like that (and if they do they don`t function, not for long anyway..)
cheers nesta
, in reply to message 11.
Posted by nesta vipers (U2256451) on Thursday, 25th February 2010
oh please! what are you on today Dragonfly? (liquid lunch maybe)
Liquid lunch, Nesta! I resemble that remark.
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