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Network Journal 2008 Issue 2 March/April |
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Dealing with childcare problems
Usdaw reps in Bury St Edmunds recently did a great job raising the union’s profile by running a survey in their workplaces.
They asked colleagues to tell them more about the problems they experience when their child or children fall ill.
Over half of everyone that took part in the survey said that trying to make alternative childcare arrangements at short notice causes real difficulties. Having an unsympathetic manager makes a difficult situation worse. As one Usdaw member explained "You never know when your child is going to be ill so you just can't plan ahead. Also, when my children are ill, they don't want other people to look after them nor can you send them to school or to their childminder. My employer has said I'm not allowed any more time off to care for my kids if they become ill again."
At the moment parents have a statutory right to take a reasonable amount of unpaid time off to make alternative care arrangements.
Despite this, a quarter of those that responded said that they were scared of getting caught up in disciplinary action because of the time they'd taken off.
One Usdaw member explained: "What really puts me under pressure is the worry of not having a job to come back to."
Another pointed out: "If I take time off to care for my children when I go back to work management give me a hard time and make me feel uncomfortable for being a mother."
Usdaw's survey also revealed that as the statutory right to time off to meet caring commitments is unpaid this puts parents under enormous financial pressure. Over a third said that for low paid workers the loss of pay causes real problems.
General secretary John Hannett said: "The information we gathered from the survey is very interesting.
"It reminds us that we need to continue to raise awareness of the statutory right to time off to care for dependants and press for improvements.
"I'd like to say a big thanks to the reps who ran the survey and to everyone that took part."
www.usdaw.org.uk/equality
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