Motion no: 28
Conference recognises that finding childcare on bank holidays, at weekends, in the evening and/or early morning remains a serious challenge for parents in Northern Ireland. Paying for this care presents parents with yet another challenge. Given this, many workers rely heavily on informal care arrangements to cover gaps in formal provision.
Conference acknowledges the crucial role working grandparents play in providing childcare. Recent research by USDAW reveals the extent of informal care arrangements – half of women and a quarter of men aged over 50 provided regular and substantial childcare for their grandchildren. However, more than half report that they find it difficult to get their caring responsibilities taken seriously by their employer.
Informal arrangements, as important as they are as part of a package of care that parents rely on, pose their own difficulties. Grandparents in particular lack any specific employment rights. The right to time off in an emergency is limited in its scope and unpaid. The right to request flexible working although open to grandparents offers no guarantees and when refused is difficult to challenge.
Conference calls on the Northern Ireland Committee to:
- Support affiliates in the work they are doing to campaign for improvements in grandparents' rights at work.
- Share best practice to assist unions to negotiate improvements to existing agreements.
- Continue to make the case to the Northern Ireland Executive and Assembly for more robust employment rights for grandparents and extended, accessible and affordable formal childcare provision.
