Is it possible to lay off a woman on maternity leave

There are two ways out of a situation where you need to liquidate a department, but you can't fire a woman on maternity leave.

Option 1. Offer the employee a transfer to another vacant position that matches her knowledge and experience.

For such a transfer, you need to obtain the employee's verbal or written consent. The law does not stipulate how many days in advance you need to notify the employee of the transfer. That is, it is up to you to decide when to offer her another position, and as soon as you agree with the woman, immediately draw up an order to transfer her to a new position.

If a woman does not want to change her position, there is another option.

Option 2. A transfer within the same organization to another workplace, to another unit or department in the same location, as well as a transfer within the same specialty, qualification or position provided for in the employment contract, is not considered a transfer (and therefore no consent is required).

This means that if there is a vacant position in the organization, but in a different department that is similar to the one a woman held before, she can be transferred without obtaining consent and without prior notice.