Work being difficult about covering child illness

[Dontnic]

Help. Tell me I am not unreasonable. I am part time, earn a lot less than my DH and have a far junior job. We have 2 children at nursery at the moment and between them I have needed to take off 12 days since July when I went back to work (I work 3 days a week) to cover illness.

They both had chicken pox, which lasted over 5 of my working days. Also, they keep getting S&D that does the rounds in the nursery. This means if they get it on my 1st day of the week, they can't go back in at all that week due to the 48 hour rule.

DH has had some days off to cover illness, but it just doesn't make sense for him to take equal time off when he has targets to hit, meetings to attend for clients/prospects etc. If his job is affected we are financially buggered. So he does take time off but I do the lions share.

Work have now had enough and said that I can no longer take my holiday at last minute notice to cover child sickness and I have to take unpaid time off for dependants.

However, the BIG sticking point is that they deem a 'reasonable' amount of time for this as up to 24 hours. So I can leave at 2pm but need to be back in the office for 9 the next day. That is the exact example they gave.

I've called my union and they said that this was correct! Apparently the law says 'reasonable' time off but various other places deem reasonable to be up to 24 hours as it is only to arrange alternative care - not to give that care yourself.

I have no family in the area and friends/neighbours are not going to want a sick child... that is if they are free as most of them work too.

What on earth do working parents do during sickness? Apparently even child minders don't take sick children so it isn't as though I can change to a child minder.

That Bloody Woman - yes it is more likely that the part-timer rather than the career oriented higher wage earning full timer takes the hit on children's sick days.

We know men and women's salaries are equal until one takes a career break or goes part time so why is is so often the woman who goes part time.
And why, if a woman asks to reduce their hours for childcare reasons and the employer refuses the request (all legally etc) there is still a perception, and even a thereat of an ET as this is deemed discrimination because women do the majority of childcare and therefore refusal to allow the exact reduction required deemed to be discriminatory.
In my experience ETs, TUs and many women themselves use the discrimination argument to get the hours they want without seeing the irony that by taking this stance they are strengthening the myth that childcare can only be done by a person with two X chromosomes,and therefore making it harder for women to break out of this socialised pattern.

That Bloody Woman this is why i had/have such a problem with Grazias Close the Pay Gap campaign. Women on minimum wage /shop workers /factory workers just wernt/arent included.

And then ppl wonder why many working class women dont or cant identify with things like this.

Late to the thread but maybe you could try to boost your dc's immunity? I have a 3 yo who's been at nursery/preschool for 2 years now and hasn't missed a single day. Dc gets colds etc but nothing bad enough to stay off school (and the staff don't let them stay if they're not well). No d&v, conjunctivitis etc.

Maybe it's because it's an education focused preschool and not a childcare focused nursery so most children have a sahp (so don't get sent in ill to pass bugs around)?

No snugness at dc not missing a day, just wondered if a different setting might be less... germy?!

Oh, and by boosting immunity I wasn't suggesting juiced kale 3x a day or anything. But making sure they're getting lots of fresh veg, vitamin supplements if you think they need them, really thourough hand washing?

Yes yes to the handwashing.