What are the options for technicians in relation to maternity leave?
Technicians are entitled to maternity leave if they are employed on the award however they should not work un-supervised so we would expect the applicant to make a substitute appointment (or use pooled resources) and not extend the award unless there were good reasons for doing so (technical support integral to the project). Note: Maternity pay can be claimed back from the Government initially at the rate of 90 per cent (there is sliding scale), therefore the MRC will only meet the additional costs (approximately 10 per cent of pay during maternity leave depending on the length of the maternity period).
