A survey of working parents in Bury St Edmunds conducted by Britain’s third largest union USDAW has revealed that many fear being punished by their employer if they take time off to care for a sick child and has highlighted the need for improvements to statutory rights and childcare provision.

 

Out of 100 working parents questioned in the survey 93% had children under 16 and 54% said they had had problems making alternative childcare arrangements if one of their children fell ill.

 

Despite a statutory right to a reasonable amount of unpaid time off to make alternative childcare arrangements a quarter of the parents who responded to the survey said they feared being disciplined if they took time off.

 

One of the interviewees explained the situation in the following terms: ‘When my children are ill they don’t want other people to look after them nor can you send them to school as their illness might affect other children. My employer has said I’m not allowed any more time off if my kids become ill again. What am I supposed to do?’

 

The USDAW survey also highlighted the financial pressures placed on working parents if a child falls ill,  one of the members questioned said : ‘ When my child is ill this puts so much more strain on an already difficult situation. I really struggle to cope financially.’

 

96% of the people questioned said their situation would be made easier if the government acted to give working parents more protection.

 

Responding to the survey USDAW General Secretary John Hanett said: ‘Our members have told us in no uncertain terms that caring for a sick child is stressful and exhausting,’ an already difficult situation was, he said, made worse by the ‘absence of a right to paid time off to care and a lack of alternative, appropriate and affordable childcare.’

 

USDAW has campaigned for several years for improvements to the rights given to parents and carers and in his statement Mr Hannett said that the union would ‘Continue to strive to ensure as many of our members as possible are covered by agreements giving them a right to paid time off when children need looking after.’