 The new employment act, aimed at making life easier for working parents, in is effect. What help will it provide? What reaction has there been, and could it breed resentment from other workers?
Under new guidelines announced in late 2001 by the government, parents with young children will be allowed to request working hours to suit their childcare commitments. This directive could potentially change the working lives of almost four million mothers and fathers who have children under six or who are caring for disabled children up to the age of 18. The savings: what the government says
According to Patricia Hewitt, the Trade and Industry Secretary, the new approach will save employers about £100 million a year in recruitment costs by enabling them to retain experienced members of staff. She claims it will also ensure that working parents are given more choice in managing the balance between work and family. She says: 'People shouldn't have to choose between being a good parent and being a good employee.' The reaction: is it enough?
The guidelines have had a mixed response among unions and campaign groups. Some critics of the new legislation are disappointed that the government has stopped short of giving mothers and fathers an automatic right to work flexi-time. When the legislation comes into play, employees will be free to request working hours that suit them but will still be at the mercy of employers who may or may not be sympathetic to their needs. Bill Morris, leader of the Transport and General Workers Union, said the proposalsdid not go far enough. He said: 'You still have to ask [for the right to flexible working]. The employer still has the opportunity to say no.' Jeremy Paxman, playing devil's advocate on BBC's Newsnight, commented to Patricia Hewitt that far from giving working parents a guarantee of flexible working hours, all the government had done was to provide 'the right to get on your knees and ask your employer [for them]'. | 
