Employment rights for Northern Ireland parents will boost recruitment and retention
15 April 2014
New rights to parental leave and an increase in flexible working are to be introduced in Northern Ireland, following an announcement yesterday by the province’s employment and learning minister Dr Stephen Farry.
Tue, 15 Apr 2014New rights to parental leave and an increase in flexible working are to be introduced in Northern Ireland, following an announcement yesterday by the province’s employment and learning minister Dr Stephen Farry.
The new rights will allow leave and pay entitlement to be shared between parents following the birth or adoption of a child.
Parents can choose to be at home together or to work at different times and share the care of their child. The plans also include a wide extension of the right to request flexible working.
It is envisaged that the new rights will be in place for April 2015.
Announcing that he will introduce legislation in the Northern Ireland Assembly, Dr Farry says: “I strongly believe that we can all benefit from a more flexible workforce that is better able to retain talented people who need to balance commitments at home and at work.
“Northern Ireland is the only region of the UK where employment law is devolved. We therefore have the opportunity to develop an employment law system that works in the interests of people and business, helps our economy to grow, attracts investment, encourages companies to recruit new staff and, at the same time, provides sufficient protection for the rights of employees.”
The new rights will allow leave and pay entitlement to be shared between parents following the birth or adoption of a child.
Parents can choose to be at home together or to work at different times and share the care of their child. The plans also include a wide extension of the right to request flexible working.
It is envisaged that the new rights will be in place for April 2015.
Announcing that he will introduce legislation in the Northern Ireland Assembly, Dr Farry says: “I strongly believe that we can all benefit from a more flexible workforce that is better able to retain talented people who need to balance commitments at home and at work.
“Northern Ireland is the only region of the UK where employment law is devolved. We therefore have the opportunity to develop an employment law system that works in the interests of people and business, helps our economy to grow, attracts investment, encourages companies to recruit new staff and, at the same time, provides sufficient protection for the rights of employees.”
