For those who are following this topic, here is what I got from Home office as reply to my email concerning the issues:-
Dear Sir,
An individual working in the UK as a work permit holder will accrue the same
employment rights as any other UK employee. This would include the right to
paid maternity leave where appropriate.
Where leave is granted in association with a work permit, a period of
maternity leave will not affect an individual's leave to remain in the UK,
provided they remain lawfully in the employment of the organisation for
which the work permit was issued. If that person decides to spend this
period outside the UK, provided they have at least six months extant leave
remaining at the time they seek to return to the UK, there should not be a
significant difficulty either. (However, that time spent outside the UK is
likely to have an impact on an individual's qualifying period for Indefinite
Leave to Remain, whether the person is on maternity leave or not.)
The issue of having an extended, unpaid period of maternity leave, is
potentially more problematic, due to work permit holders being precluded
from access to public funds. However, provided an individual is able to
support themselves in the UK during this period, and again, provided they
remain lawfully in the employment of the organisation for which the work
permit was issued, this should not cause the leave to remain to lapse or the
individual to be in breach of their conditions of stay here.
Philip Green
Customer Service Advisor
* Customer Contact Centre
Work Permits (UK)
Home Office
PO Box 3468, Sheffield
* 0114 2074074
*
www.workingintheuk.gov.uk