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Flexible friends
10 June 2008
Working parents Jo Downes and Alan Bowles know all about the difficulties of juggling their domestic responsibilities with their work commitments – that’s why they joined an Usdaw delegation to Westminster to lobby for changes in employment law which would give workers greater access to flexible working.
Mother-of-two Jo who lives in Woking, Surrey, and father-of-four Alan from Ilkeston, Derbyshire, helped present the union's case at the department of Business Enterprise and Regulatory Reform (BERR).
At present legislation allows parents to apply for flexible working if they have children under six or have a disabled child under 18. Working carers who look after elderly or disabled adults can also apply.
"In my experience children's needs don't disappear when they turn six," said Alan. "If anything it's the teenage years when the children need most support. Schoolwork, bullying, the use of alcohol and drugs and dealing with friends are all so much more intense these days. Parents need to be on hand so their children have good advice and a shoulder to cry on."
Usdaw's campaign wants to see all parents allowed to request flexible working. "Our members consistently tell us that working time is a major issue for them and they need help to balance their working lives with their home lives," said general secretary John Hannett.
"There is a good business case for allowing parents wider access to flexible working and it helps companies retain staff when their staff's circumstances change."
Single mum Jo guarded her 25-hour week, term-time contract while her children were growing up. "This wasn't easy because, as anyone in retail will tell you, rotas and shifts change on a constant basis and you're often asked to work extra hours," she said. "It was a fascinating, and quite a nerve-wracking day when we visited the government's offices, but very enjoyable too."
Good news: As arena went to press the Government announced the right to request flexible working would be extended to parents of children aged up to 16.
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