A WOMAN who is six months pregnant has refused to work in a glasshouse for the Community and Environment Projects Scheme. Castel resident Wendy Brehaut, 33, cannot believe she was considered for such work and was worried such an environment could risk the health of her baby.
The unemployed mother-of-two has previously worked as a company surveyor, design consultant and office administrator in a bank, but had been unable to secure work since February.
‘I am willing to work in an office but not in a job that is not suitable for a pregnant woman, especially in a glasshouse with the heat during the summer,’ she said.
Unemployment is up 50% on last year and she had warned prospective employers that she was pregnant and thinks this may have discouraged them from taking her on.
‘I have been honest and can see the prospective employers’ point of view. I believe I am still capable of working, but a glasshouse is not the right environment for a pregnant woman to be,’ she claimed.
‘Everybody I have spoken to can’t believe it and think it’s wrong. I have had two early births before and my specialist is keeping a close eye on me from 30 weeks because I have had a previous 32-week pregnancy and another 37-week pregnancy.’
She said she was warned if she did not turn up for work, she might lose her unemployment benefit. She has signed on for supplementary benefit and is hoping to get maternity benefits.
‘I’m 24 weeks pregnant and can make a claim after the 24th week of pregnancy,’ said Ms Brehaut.
This may be through a maternity allowance or grant.
‘I don’t want to do anything that could jeopardise my baby. That kind of job is for youngsters who are walking the streets and don’t want to go to work. That is the kind of people they should be sending on the scheme, not people who have worked through their lives, especially when they are pregnant.’
The scheme is run on behalf of the Social Security Department by States Works for unemployed people and is seen as beneficial for the island.
A letter dated 27 July highlighted that when she was referred to the CEPS earlier that month, concerns were raised by her doctor that the work might not be suitable for her.
But it suggested that since that time, the nature of the work and the working environment had been fully explained to the doctor and he now raised no objections to her doing the work.
The letter confirmed that she would be working in a large ventilated and shaded glasshouse at Burnt Lane, St Martin’s. The work would be part-time, mornings only, but it was suggested there might be the chance of full-time work in due course. It said it involved working with plants and was light work and she would be able to sit or stand to do the work.
Ms Brehaut failed to report to the job at 7.45am on Monday because she did not believe it was morally right and that it was inappropriate to do the work.
But a department spokesman defended the decision to send her on the scheme.
‘The work was light work and can be done sitting down and is basically plant husbandry. We are not health experts and would go on the opinion of the doctor,’ he said.
‘It was part-time work and we would expect her to give it a go and we have gone out of our way to ensure this is suitable work for someone in her situation. We think the work is appropriate and she should have been capable of doing it.
‘It’s a large, open, ventilated greenhouse and we don’t believe the work to have been at all onerous,’ said the spokesman.
‘She was claiming unemployment benefit and said she was free and available for work. She was actively seeking work and we were not forcing her to do anything she did not want to do,’ he said.
‘We were working with her to find her suitable work.’
Article posted on 6th August, 2004 - 12.00am
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