As from 15th December 1999
All
employees have a right to take a
reasonable period of time off work to
deal with an emergency involving a
dependant, (e.g. a child, spouse, parent
etc).
There is no set limit on the amount
of time which can be taken, but it
should be a reasonable period to allow
the employee to deal with the emergency.
The right does not include a right to
pay during time off and this is left to
the discretion of the employer.
Any employee who has been denied time
off to care for dependants or time off
for ante-natal classes and appointments
may complain to an Employment Tribunal.
News update
10th November 2000
Call to shelve plans to give new
parental leave rights to workers in the
UK.
The demand comes from the
Confederation of British Industry's
director general Digby Jones. He claims
businesses are struggling to cope with
the 16 different pieces of employment
legislation introduced since Labour came
to power three years ago.
The new laws are costing companies
£7bn because of the working time
regulations and £4.5bn from the minimum
wage's introduction.
The CBI believes many firms are
against plans to give new mothers the
right to return to work part-time. It is
just as much against proposals to allow
fathers to take extended periods of
parental leave for any child under the
age of five.
The Interactive
Law Group