My company is relocating 30 miles away a couple of weeks after i am due to take maternity leave?

You can request anything you like. And if your employer likes and values you, they can absolutely agree to accommodate your requests.

But if your employer doesn't particularly like you (which this sounds likely) and if your employer is having financial issues (which you know they are), then they likely will not agree to make these concessions for you.

I would strongly recommend that you start looking for another job. Or, if it is possible, you might consider relocating to be closer to the new place of business.

There are several issues going on here

Firstly if I was the employer, I would already have consulted with my staff on the relocation and offered a discretionary pay rise/increment to the employees I wanted to keep,

to compensate them for any increased travelling costs / increased travelling time

Your children are your own responsibility and not that of your employer.

The job presumably is still the same, it's the location that has changed, am I correct?

Employers don't move location without a great deal of thought and would never risk losing employees they valued highly

If you have not been involved in consultations about the relocation,

then can I suggest you start looking elsewhere for employment

You can ask for a new contract, you can ask for a pay rise,

but both seem unlikely as this would normally have been discussed long before

the plans to relocate became confirmed

Hi Billie

Good answer from Kyle. To help any more we really need to know what the company is offering anyone/everyone. Is there any help with fares or fuel. A minibus? Or is it "we are moving, like it or lump it"?

This is when it gets tricky. It is possible your contract says you must move within a certain distance if the company moves. It may say nothing, in which case 'reasonable' moves can be implied. The complication is your caring role. If the move has no support and you can no longer care for your child it is likely discriminatory. This is because, say, a single man can much more easily cope with the move than you.

It might be actually be a redundancy situation for everyone - you haven't said. There is no longer going to be work at the old location, which is a definition of redundancy. This is no comfort to you, as only employees with over 2 years service get statutory redundancy.

So, returning to your question, you definitely can ask, and even highlight the inequalities you face. But I'm afraid, if they know what they are doing, they could simply say: Yes, you're right. We will let you go on redundancy.

Only an expert union official or HR adviser could maybe get you a good deal. So sorry I cannot be of more comfort.

Best wishes.

an employer does not have to accommodate an employee.