No employer has the right to fire a pregnant employee – Lawyer

Ghanaian Lawyer, Ebenezer Ahiator, has emphasized that it is wrong for an employer to dismiss their employee for being pregnant.

He noted that employers have no right to do that, and there is no such law in the country to back up such actions.

He made this statement in relation to Addobea Janet, a Ghanaian woman who was dismissed from her place of work after getting pregnant.

Talking to Kwabena Boafo on Happy98.8 FM’s NsemPii, he said, “Normally for such situations, the right way to go about it is to talk to the employee and come to an agreement with them rather than dismiss them.”

Citing an example he said, “During the COVID-19 pandemic because things got a bit tough for everyone, a lot of employers had to lay off their staff because they were unable to pay salaries. What most of the employers did was to speak to their employees explaining the situation to them and most of them understood.”

He emphasized that it is wrong to just dismiss the employee without any explanation and the law does not support such an act.

“You cannot dismiss an employee based on the fact that she is pregnant. It is different if the job can put the woman and her baby at risk. But if there is nothing like that, then it should not be accepted,” he shared.

Lawyer Ahiator explained that the constitution of the country supports women, especially pregnant women working unless it is against the rules of the company. “But under normal circumstances, you cannot dismiss someone from work over pregnancy.”