Working Families charity reports significant increase in redundancy and discrimination calls

The charity says that some of the trends highlighted in its 2008 report are:

• A substantial increase in calls about redundancy and discrimination, particularly against pregnant women and those on maternity leave. Calls about redundancy accounted for around 10% of all calls towards the end of 2008 and continue to rise.
• More fathers called the helpline or emailed the charity for advice - 13% of all contacts were with men compared with 10% in 2007. Fathers continue to have difficulty accessing paternity leave and flexible working, and the need to be employed for a certain period before being entitled to leave adversely affects both fathers and adoptive parents.
• Problems related to the downturn, including the payment of statutory maternity pay when an employer goes into liquidation, and difficulties in calculating tax credits in redundancy situations.
• New problems have emerged from changes in legislation such as the introduction of keeping-in-touch days and requirements to pay childcare vouchers throughout the maternity leave period.
• Contact with people seeking advice indicates that a more flexible approach is required when parents and carers need to take time off for sick dependants. “Emergency care” is limited in its coverage, “parental leave” is not available for carers, and a right to request flexible working may not be appropriate in sickness situations as it brings about a permanent change of contract.

The full report is available on the Work and Families website.