Quarter of fathers refused flexible working
Joanna Rossiter
Thursday, October 2, 2008
One in four fathers are refused flexible working hours by their employers, the Liberal Democrats have claimed.
A response to a Parliamentary question revealed that only 14 per cent of fathers eligible for the flexible working scheme request the hours. One in five requests are turned down by employers.
In response to the figures, Nick Clegg, leader of the Liberal Democrats, has called for action to be taken to make flexible working more accessible. Susan Kramer, Liberal Democrat Families Spokesman, will produce new policy proposals concerning the introduction of parental leave shared between two parents.
Mr Clegg said: "Creating an environment where parents can choose to take meaningful time away from work to spend together with their children should be one of the most important issues in employment today."
"It is deeply saddening that the number of employees even requesting more flexible hours is so low, particularly amongst fathers," he added.
He said the government had a duty to make flexible working "fairer for all parents" in order to recognise the need for a "work-life balance".
