Pregnant women ought to be granted their worker status and social benefits

Jessy Saint Prix v Secretary of State for Work and Pensions

The AIRE Centre represented Jessy Saint Prix in the case against the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions.  Jessy Saint Prix, a french national who came to the UK in 2006, worked as a teaching assistant for 11 months before finding a job in a nursery school. Jessy then became pregnant. During her sixth month of pregnancy, Jessy found it difficult to continue with her job so started looking for work that was more suitable for her during her pregnancy. During this time, Jessy applied for income support but was rejected by the Department for Work and Pensions who claimed that Jessy had lost her ‘worker’ status in the UK.

Decision 

The case was taken to the Court of Justice European Union who stated that a women who stops working for an appropriate amount of time surrounding her pregnancy should still be considered a ‘worker’ under EU Laws.

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