I was informed by my employer today that the company is refusing to get me a work permit because I am pregnant. They said this explicitly, but unfortunately, I didn't record this conversation. I am in shock, and outraged. And the stress this is causing me is probably harming my baby. Without a work permit, I have no legal way to reside in this country... and nowhere to go. I'm nearly 6 months along. I don't have enough money saved up to relocate, i have no family to live with, and for the past several months I've been operating on the assumption that i would soon have the work permit (we had already started the process, and i jumped through all the necessary hoops - medical tests, tax id numbers, etc). Without the work permit, I also cannot file for child support from the father, because I have no official residency.
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Outrageous Discrimination
- Post starter Casey_03
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- Post starter
- #3
@Cashew I've spoken to a lawyer and she advised me to get it in writing, but I doubt they will be stupid enough to put the pregnancy part in writing. I am sure they will write something vague like "not satisfied with performance," something to cover their backs. I am not sure what you mean by pretending I wasn't informed of anything - you mean if i just ignore the lack of a work permit? I plan on going out with the truth but think I should be cautious about it, so as not to jeopardize a lawsuit. Though maybe going to the press and suing are not mutually exclusive. The company is financed by NATO and various Western organizations, as well as donors, including wealthy businessman in the UK. But it was a wealthy businessman in the UK - the publisher - who made this decision. The permits come from the Labor Ministry, but I can't get a permit on my own; the company has to do it for me.
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If it gets to this point :
https://travel.state.gov/content/passports/en/emergencies/financial-assistance.html
FYI... Pregnancy counts as a medical emergency in most cases, as it precludes the ability to work your way home if you've lost your work visa abroad (like crewing a vessel bound stateside). It can still be argued you could find a travel nanny position or similar to get you travel stateside & wages for 1st & last, but it puts the embassy in a difficult position politically / in the press (denying aid to pregnant women doesn't make good copy. On that line, if you meet resistance with the consular agent? Hit up the press agents, who have different priorities). It's also very Occam's Razor when you speak with someone at State; Since you're a war correspondent, it very easily follows that your company is ditching you because you're pregnant, instead of finding a position for you that you can do whilst pregnant.
If you do get to this point?
My 2nd suggestion would be to network your ass off in getting the embassy to smooth the way towards wherever you're relocating to... Aka relocation services. The embassy doesn't have any authority stateside, but they have a lot of weight / can pull strings just because their title & position is impressive. "Hi I'm calling from the London Embassy, trying to assist a pregnant citizen stranded abroad home who is in dire need of XYZ services once she touches ground... In cutting through a lot of bureaucratic red tape on medical, housing, etc.... IF you can find a helpful person to champion you. Some people at State are really freaking awesome at this, others just DGAF. So finding that person? Unless you just luck out, is often a challenge in and of itself.
https://travel.state.gov/content/passports/en/emergencies/financial-assistance.html
FYI... Pregnancy counts as a medical emergency in most cases, as it precludes the ability to work your way home if you've lost your work visa abroad (like crewing a vessel bound stateside). It can still be argued you could find a travel nanny position or similar to get you travel stateside & wages for 1st & last, but it puts the embassy in a difficult position politically / in the press (denying aid to pregnant women doesn't make good copy. On that line, if you meet resistance with the consular agent? Hit up the press agents, who have different priorities). It's also very Occam's Razor when you speak with someone at State; Since you're a war correspondent, it very easily follows that your company is ditching you because you're pregnant, instead of finding a position for you that you can do whilst pregnant.
If you do get to this point?
My 2nd suggestion would be to network your ass off in getting the embassy to smooth the way towards wherever you're relocating to... Aka relocation services. The embassy doesn't have any authority stateside, but they have a lot of weight / can pull strings just because their title & position is impressive. "Hi I'm calling from the London Embassy, trying to assist a pregnant citizen stranded abroad home who is in dire need of XYZ services once she touches ground... In cutting through a lot of bureaucratic red tape on medical, housing, etc.... IF you can find a helpful person to champion you. Some people at State are really freaking awesome at this, others just DGAF. So finding that person? Unless you just luck out, is often a challenge in and of itself.
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@Casey_03 Yeah, they have no reason to do that, though getting them to give you a statement of any sort is still something you might use to build a case against them, I'm thinking.
What I meant by that question is if it's possible to get the work permit elsewhere, or demand they issue it regardless of what you were told about it, not taking oral information for a final decision.
I'm wondering what sort of pressure would it take for the company to re-evaluate their decisions.
Is there anyone in the company itself you might use as an ally? Either for sympathies on a personal level or a sense of collegiality?
What I meant by that question is if it's possible to get the work permit elsewhere, or demand they issue it regardless of what you were told about it, not taking oral information for a final decision.
I'm wondering what sort of pressure would it take for the company to re-evaluate their decisions.
Is there anyone in the company itself you might use as an ally? Either for sympathies on a personal level or a sense of collegiality?
- Post starter
- #6
No, there is no way to get the permit elsewhere or on my own. If I had more time, I could try to get a new job and get it through a different company, but at 6 months pregnant, it's too late for that (the process for a work permit is very long). And after seven months, I'm not supposed to travel. So this leaves me very little time to find a ton of money to relocate + find somewhere to live, etc. Some of my colleagues are sympathetic, but I don't think they have enough influence to change the decision. I can start a media campaign and ruin the paper's reputation, but I'm not even sure that would help. And the lawyer is promising but I'm not sure I can afford to hire her.
Would it be possible to negotiate installments pay for that? Pay what you can afford now, the rest later in regular times?
Anyone else working in the same area of law & geographically you could request help of at a cheaper rate?
- Post starter
- #8
1 - Not possible, if only because i'm already paying in installments for prenatal care and the birth, and that is all the money i have.
2 - i'm hoping to find someone cheaper, that seems to be the only option. ideally, i won't even need full legal services, just a couple of official letters sent to the company from angry lawyers to scare them into changing their minds. I may be able to crowd fund enough to pay for that, at least.
2 - i'm hoping to find someone cheaper, that seems to be the only option. ideally, i won't even need full legal services, just a couple of official letters sent to the company from angry lawyers to scare them into changing their minds. I may be able to crowd fund enough to pay for that, at least.
- Post starter
- #9
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