Usdaw welcomes the Government’s commitment to greater flexibility for working parents

Responding to the announcement in today’s Queen Speech that the Government is to consider extending the right of workers to request flexible working; John Hannett, General Secretary of retail and distribution union Usdaw said; “Balancing work with bringing up children is a major issue for millions of workers and we are delighted that flexibility for working parents has been addressed in the Queen’s Speech.”

“The right to have a say in when you can and can’t work makes all the difference. For many parents and carers it means the difference between holding down a job and having to give it up. Employers need to understand these pressures and recognise that changes in an individual’s home life can have a knock on effect on their working life”.

Jo Downes, an Usdaw member and shopworker for a major supermarket said; “As a mother of two soon to be teenage children, I have spent a great deal of my working life struggling to balance the demands of work with the demands of caring for my children.

“I have an excellent relationship with my employer and they understand the pressures I am often under as a single parent of older children. But many working parents aren’t in the same position, so a formal right to request a change of hours is very important.

“I could not work if I wasn’t able to finish around the time my children come home from school. I want to be there to make sure they do their homework and get something proper to eat.

“It doesn’t take a genius to work out whether me, my kids, my employer or for that matter the economy is better off with me in paid work. Having a right to ask for child friendly working hours will make a big difference for a great many parents of older children.”

For many years Usdaw has put work life balance at the heart of their industrial and political agenda and the union campaigned successfully for the introduction of the right of parents of children under six to request flexible working in. This right was extended in April this year to carers of sick or disabled adults and the union is continues to campaign for the right to be extended to parents of all school age children and ultimately all workers.

John Hannett, General Secretary of retail and distribution union Usdaw added; “We have made the case and the Government has listened to our campaign. Extending the right to request will help all parents to manage their responsibilities and maximise their employment opportunities.

“Flexible working is also good for business. Many employers stand to lose good people, talents and skills simply because changes at home mean they need changes to their hours of work. In today’s competitive labour market employers simply can’t afford to let experienced staff go. Even on those occasions where agreeing flexible working might bring additional costs, this is often much less than the cost of recruiting and training new staff.”

Notes to Editors:

• Contacts for newsdesks: Usdaw’s Media and Communications Department, can be contacted on 0161 249 2469 or e-mail communications@usdaw.org.uk.
• Usdaw (the Union of Shop, Distributive and Allied Workers) is the UK’s fifth biggest trade union, with over 354,000 members. Most Usdaw members work in the retail sector, but the union also has many members in transport, distribution, food manufacturing, chemicals and other trades.
• More information and news releases are available at our online Newsroom.
• Subscribe/unsubscribe to Usdaw news releases via our online e-news service.

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© 2003 (USDAW) Union of Shop, Distributive and Allied Workers
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