Help to improve flexible working proposals

“Flexible working is not a perk, it’s a necessity for a modern, forward-looking economy,” says UNISON general secretary Christina McAnea in response to government proposals. The government’s consultation on ‘making flexible working the default’ closes on Wednesday (1 December), leaving workers just two days to make their voices heard. Have your say on flexible working Sign the petition Use the TUC’s easy responder tool Under the consultation’s current proposals, workers would be granted the right to request flexible working on day one of taking up a job, a move which the general secretary called, “welcome and long overdue”. However, the proposals, do not go far enough and UNISON has been working with the TUC to support their campaign to take access to flexible working further. The TUC’s proposals highlight that those who need flexible working the most – for example, parents, carers and disabled workers – need to know what flexibility they will be afforded before they apply to jobs, rather than on day one. This is reinforced by survey results which indicate that many people are discouraged from enquiring about flexible options during the job  interview process for fear of discrimination or being seen as awkward and less committed. UNISON, along with the TUC, is calling for, among other things: a duty on employers, before any refusal, to consider alternative flexible options, to fully explain the exceptional circumstances of the job which means t...
Source: UNISON Health care news - Category: UK Health Authors: Tags: Article News flexible working Source Type: news