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MPs turn out to back parents and carersMost Usdaw members are forced to juggle their jobs and their family life whether that’s looking after the children, an elderly relative or a disabled partner/family member. That's why Usdaw is on the campaign trail to improve both the legal rights and the employment rights for working people who have to balance these competing demands on their time. The union's Supporting Parents and Carers Campaign is out to make a real difference and aims, through negotiation, to:
The campaign will also involve lobbying the Government to improve:
"An important part of the campaign will be to remind members of their existing rights," said John Hannett. "These have improved since 1997 but we believe there is still plenty of scope for further advances. "There are 12 million parents and seven million carers in the UK - around 75 per cent of the workforce - so employers and the Government have to take their concerns seriously. "Employers who support parents and carers reap the benefits in terms of high staff morale, lower turnover and reduced sickness/absence rates. Supporting parents and carers is a win-win situation for all." Usdaw's first of three special 'spotlight' days got off to a flying start with a whole host of MPs lining up to back the event on maternity rights. Labour's Hazel Blears joined more than a hundred activists in Manchester to kick off the divisional campaign in the North West. The launch coincided with a new national survey by Usdaw which revealed that new mothers are being driven back to the shopfloor too soon after giving birth because they can't afford to take their full statutory maternity leave. The union discovered that a shocking 78 per cent of new mothers working in Britain's retail stores would have liked more time off with their new babies but went back on average six weeks before their statutory maternity pay ran out. "Hard working families and working mothers will be at the heart of Labour's agenda for a third term," said Hazel Blears. "Labour is committed to increasing paid statutory maternity leave to nine months by 2007 and 12 months by the end of the next Parliament." The survey also found the average cost of taking a full 12 months off at home was a staggering £7,000. "That's a huge sum of money for our members to lose," said general secretary John Hannett. "That's why we welcome government plans to extend the length of paid maternity leave, but we intend to press for maternity pay to be increased." Two of Labour's prospective parliamentary candidates Mary Creagh and Ed Balls paid a special visit to mail order company Redcats UK in Wakefield, Yorkshire, to lend their support to the campaign. They chatted to staff and expectant mums about the government's proposals for improvements to maternity and paternity rights. "Being the mother of a two year-old I know how important it is to have a good work/life balance," said Mary, parliamentary candidate for Wakefield. "Labour wants to make sure people know their legal rights and can enjoy their children in those precious early years." "Parents want the chance to balance their work and caring responsibilities," said Normanton candidate Ed Balls.
What's nextThe next two 'Spotlight' events will aim to raise awareness of the issues behind the Supporting Parents & Carers campaign. Pressure on workers with caring responsibilities is scheduled for June and the difficulties faced by working parents will follow in September.Diary dates as follows:
Usdaw has produced a Maternity and Parental Rights Pack giving useful information on rights such as leave and pay, health and safety and returning to work. There is also a handy wall planner to help you remember and log any key dates. For more information visit our Supporting Parents and Carers campaign section on the Usdaw web site or contact Women and Equalities officer Ruth Cross on 0161 224 2804.  Printer Friendly Page  Email to a Friend
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