GMB welcome plans to consult on proposed changes to flexible working and parental leave

17 May 2011

GMB believe this is a 'win win' situation for both the employees and the employers and those employers who raise objection through the mantra of too much 'red tape' are "cutting off their noses off to spite their faces"

GMB commented Government plans to extend flexible working and introduce changes to parental leave as part of the Modern Workplaces consultation which has just been launched. The closing date for the consultation is 8 August 2011.

In summary, the proposals that are being consulted on are:

Reconfiguring the first year's leave from 2015 so that there would be: 18 weeks of paid maternity leave, a further 4 weeks of paid leave reserved for the mother (at Statutory Maternity Pay (SMP) flat rate), 4 weeks of paid leave reserved for the father (at SMP flat rate), 17 weeks of paid leave (at SMP flat rate) that can be taken by either parent and 13 weeks of unpaid leave.

The leave could be taken by mothers and fathers at the same time (unlike Additional Paternity Leave (APL) where the mother has to have physically returned to work).

Mothers and fathers would both be able to take the leave from day one (unlike APL and paternity leave where there are service requirements for fathers).

Allowing individuals to request that their employer allows them to take the leave flexibly in a series of discontinuous blocks (e.g. a father may take time around the birth and then another block later on) or as one or two days a week (e.g. to facilitate a phased return to work with a period of part-time working).

Right for fathers to get time off to attend 2 antenatal appointments.

Creating a universal right to request flexible working from 2013/14.

Removing the procedural requirements around how a right to request is dealt with from the statutory Regulations and placing them into a statutory Code of Practice. The employer would then have duty to 'reasonably' consider a request with the Code providing guidance on what is reasonable.

On equal pay there is a proposal that equal pay audits could be recommended by tribunals where an employer loses an equal pay case.

Kamaljeet Jandu GMB National Officer for Equality said: 'GMB welcome the Governments plans to consult on the proposed changes to flexible working and parental leave.

GMB believe this is a 'win win' situation for both the employees and the employers. The benefits are three fold. Firstly flexible working will benefit all families because they will be able to balance child care and work. Secondly businesses will be able to retain parents and not have to engage in expensive recruitment and training processes to find replacements. Third as a matter of morally we believe that all children should have a equal chance to develop and not just those who can afford to leave employment.

Those employers who raise objection through the mantra of too much 'red tape' are cutting off their nose off to spite their faces'.

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