Commenting on tonight’s (Wednesday) proposals from the government on flexible working, TUC General Secretary Frances O’Grady said:
“Flexible working should be a day one right that’s available to everyone.
“But under these plans employers will still have free rein to turn down all or any requests for flexible working.
“Instead of tinkering around the edges, ministers should change the law so that workers have the legal right to work flexibly from the first day in the job.
“The right to ask nicely is no right at all.
“Not all jobs can support every kind of flexible working – but all jobs can support some kind of flexible working. And all job adverts should make clear what kind of flexibility is available.”
TUC polling published in 2019 revealed that:
Carer’s leave
On proposals to introduce five days’ unpaid carer’s leave also announced this evening, Frances O’Grady said:
“A statutory right to carer’s leave is long overdue.
“But for carer’s leave to play a genuine role, it is vital that it is paid – or it will just be a luxury for those that can afford it.
“The TUC is calling for 10 days’ paid carer’s leave for all workers from their first day in a job.”
Flexible working: The TUC is calling for:
History of flexible working: The current right to request flexible working has existed for almost two decades. It was originally introduced in April 2003 for parents of children aged under six (or under 18 if disabled). Since 2014, all employees with at least 26 weeks' continuous employment, regardless of parental or caring responsibilities, have been able to request flexible working arrangements. Only those legally classed as employees are able to make requests and only one request every 12 months is permitted.
Despite the length of time legislation has existed it has only had a limited impact. TUC analysis of the Labour Force Survey shows that:
All analysis can be found in TUC’s The future of flexible work report: https://www.tuc.org.uk/research-analysis/reports/future-flexible-work
The TUC: The Trades Union Congress (TUC) exists to make the working world a better place for everyone. We bring together the 5.5 million working people who make up our 48 member unions. We support unions to grow and thrive, and we stand up for everyone who works for a living.
Contacts:
TUC press office
media@tuc.org.uk
020 7467 1248
Want to hear about our latest news and blogs?
Sign up now to get it straight to your inbox
To access the admin area, you will need to setup two-factor authentication (TFA).