SUPPORT FROM THE WORKPLACE!

Replies

By SocialHeretic

Re: SUPPORT FROM THE WORKPLACE!
Mon 10 Dec 2007 18:02

First port of call will be your trade union representative ... that's what one pays one's dues for.

No trade union ? CAB ..... employment adviser.

By kerry

Re: SUPPORT FROM THE WORKPLACE!
Wed 23 Jan 2008 20:02

Hi Kez,
Have you heard of 'parental leave'?
this is a new govt strategy designed to help parents of under 5s or disabled under 18s- usually unpaid period to look after your child. allows up to extra 18 weeks off to care for your child.
you can also request flexible hours for same reasons if your child on DLA.
this has been extended to those caring for others (eg partner parent etc)
employer can turn you down but must give it careful consideration and reasons why if not poss.
you can take emergency time off-unpaid- as long as youve worked there a year.
and your carers assessment is governed by equal ops act which states that your employment must be considered when carrying out assessment and reasonable help given to help you work. (by law)
you can get further help from 'employers for carers' (your internet or local CAB may have contact details)
you can also talk to your human resource section at work, trade union (like SH suggested) or another professional.
might even be worth them contacting 'employers for carers' on your behalf to see if you can work something out which is mutually convenient.
Hope this helps Kez, good luck.
Kerry

By kerry

Re: SUPPORT FROM THE WORKPLACE!
Wed 23 Jan 2008 20:04

PS if you havent got a carers assessment GET ONE NOW! contact local council for the dept you need (eg children with disablities team or whoever) and request one as soon as poss.
Kerry

By natalie

Re: SUPPORT FROM THE WORKPLACE!
Wed 12 Mar 2008 13:14

you are also legally entitlled to 18 weeks off unpaid and it canre be taken wen and as needed

By im_in_chains

Re: SUPPORT FROM THE WORKPLACE!
Wed 12 Mar 2008 22:54

The thing with that carers working rights is that they don't stipulate if it's for full or part time workers. My employers like to throw it in my face that I'm part time. Not that I've had issues regarding certain time off but other things instead.

Anyway, that 18 weeks parental leave, you have to give 21 days notice so unless you know 21 days in advance that your child is going to be ill and you need to take time off to care for them, you can kiss goodbye to those 18 weeks!

Even with possible surgery, hospitals don't always give you 21 days notice, if there's a cancellation like there was for my son's 2nd operation, I was called NYE one year for an operation on 5th January as there'd been a cancellation. No 21 days notice there then! My employer could easily have said, "No Way!" but that was before this carer working rights business.

I wish these right were clearer as to who they're for because my employer is clamping down on absenteeism and a woman at our place, who was injured at home, was told to schedule her physiotherapy appointment for outside work hours.

If I'm told that for any of my son's appointments, then I'm stuffed for childcare as there would be no-one to look after my youngest child while I take my eldest child to one of his many appointments!

By natalie

Re: SUPPORT FROM THE WORKPLACE!
Thu 13 Mar 2008 13:10

i belive that you can take these days as and wen required i always get paid for any appointments i would check with a union rep if i were you i did and work are ok with things now well they have to be so im told i work 25 hrs a week

By Margaret Jean

Re: SUPPORT FROM THE WORKPLACE!
Fri 14 Mar 2008 21:50

Kez, You don't say how old or young your caree is. I care for my mother, and work full time. I have recently got time off by negotiating with my boss. If I work part of my lunch break for however many days I need, I can take that time in leu for such things as appointments. Carers time off, they tell me is only for unforseen events and emergencies, not for known events. Have a chat with your HR/Personnel department, and of course your union rep. They can look into all the aspects of the legal side, and find out for you where you stand. If you are working part time it may be easier to negotiate than for a full timer. Try to keep unpaid time off for emergencies, so that you are not depriving yourself of much needed cash, but always ask, ask and ask again. someone should know, and if the recent EU opinion is anything to go by, the law is going to have to be looked into again. Best wishes with your juggling.

By natalie

Re: SUPPORT FROM THE WORKPLACE!
Sun 16 Mar 2008 19:33

i dont think its just for unseenevents at all my daughters teacher has holidays of at christmas and days of if her daughters school is off wen she is not she also takes a week at wit to go away as long as its unpaid you can take them wenever u want

natalie