To think a years unpaid carers leave and 2 weeks bereavement leave

[PlayOnWurtz]

Are great ideas but wonder how much it will cost and whether businesses will actually implement them?

For the death of a spouse or child then there should absolutely be two weeks leave if someone needs it. The law just needs to be specific and restrictive to exactly who it needs to be applied to so people can't routinely take time off every time one of the neighbours/acquaintance dies.

These two things look like FLSA from the USA and bereavement leave from Canada.
Any idea that Tories care about rights for ordinary workers is a joke IMHO, this is just a weedy and cynical attempt to buy off voters who are worried about a future Tory government's approach to employment laws.

Could the year from work to care for a vulnerable family member operate in the same way as maternity leave?? Someone would be recruited in to your position to relieve the stress on fellow workers and impact on the employer. You would have staying in touch days and if I carry in dreaming you should be eligible for "statutory Carers pay" in recognition of the huge amount of money you are saving the social care budget ?

The issue here is the same than there has been with MW.
MW was a great idea, will force allthose scompanies who pay little to actually pay people correctly.
And what has happened is that the MN became the benchmark and companies who were paying than the MW just aligned themselves to said MW.

Befire there was no rule effort time off afetrvthe death of a child or spouse. So most companies did give some generous time off because th to deal wit's organising details, going to the funeral etc... as well as gettingnyour ariund it. Now they will not give more than two weeks.

People are mentioning how their company has been great by giving some time off to people to care for a relative, on FULL pay. This, again, won't happen again. It will be up to a year with NO pay (and no career allowance as you are employed).

This isn't a progress.

Hilda
For the death of a spouse or child then there should absolutely be two weeks leave if someone needs it.
Because when you lose your partner or your child, you think that some people might not need at least two weeks before they are fit to go to work again?????

Carry ON dreaming that is...
I think calculations will show that it is cheaper for the country to pay statutory Carers pay for a year than for social services and the NHS to employ agency Carers at approx 20£ an hour to look after people with high medical needs

Could the year from work to care for a vulnerable family member operate in the same way as maternity leave?? Someone would be recruited in to your position to relieve the stress on fellow workers and impact on the employer. You would have staying in touch days and if I carry in dreaming you should be eligible for "statutory Carers pay" in recognition of the huge amount of money you are saving the social care budget

Sounds WONDERFUL!!!!

For the death of a spouse or child then there should absolutely be two weeks leave if someone needs it. The law just needs to be specific and restrictive to exactly who it needs to be applied to so people can't routinely take time off every time one of the neighbours/acquaintance dies

But this privileges one family structure only. Why should it be assumed that our primary responsibilities are to spouses and children? There are multiple household and family structures and emotional relationships that exist outside of these that are equally as important. Just as an example, I'm thinking of two women who are close friends and care for each other. Neither have children and have never been married or in long-term sexual relatonships. They go on holiday together and look after each other and care for each other when they are sick. The emotional bonds and there and deep, but they are not related by blood or paper. Why should they not be allowed the same claims to carers leave / bereavement leave as those in more conventional family situations?

Who can afford to take a year off unpaid to look after a family member??

Of course they want people to take unpaid leave to be a carer, then they cannot apply for ESA or IS or CA. Fucking wank is all this is.

Wow! You could have a year managing on 62 quid a week, fabulous!

Sounds like it benefit well
Off people, you are only child, mum owns house. Finds out life limiting illness, which will eat up the cost of house with care home costs. You take year out unpaid or on carers. Then you inherit the full costs of the home so don't actually end up out of pocket.

If you are caring for a terminally ill spouse, then it is extremely unlikely you would be able to afford to quit your job for a year, if anything you are likely to need the money more than ever, as they are no longer financially active. I know several people that has happened to and the loss of one income was bad enough, what are you supposed to do, just not pay your mortgage/rent?!

Hideous policy, the best thing is usually for the person to have a signed-off sick pay period as they are too sick to work, not make them financially impoverished at an already awful time.

The only people who could afford to do this are really wealthy anyway! 95% of people I know don't have enough savings to live a whole year without their usual income...

A year off isn't enough for many caring duties. I had to take four years off to deal with my autistic ds. And although I got the pitiful rate of carer's allowance, it was taken off my income support so effectively I only got about £30 of it. There have also been proposals about returnships but I've found them useless for returning to work as they all expect you to have substantial relevant previous experience which many parents won't have if they had children before establishing a career, or want to retrain in a new area. Plus most employers are unsympathetic about giving time off for appointments related to caring. It is easier for me right now to stay on IS and CA.

MEan while someone who rents privately leaves job looks after mum in council home. When they die they can't take over tenancy have 7 days to clear flat off all belongs. They haven't work for a year no savings and no private landlord will take housing benefit. Result homelessness.

Why can't you be protected from this sort thing with help to get back into work and housing. With a deposit and first month pay up front so dosnt take them half a year to get back on their feet. I.e. Benefits stop first day of job, live off nothing for month then use first pay check love second month also.

You won't even get £62 a week.

If you are caring for a terminally ill spouse, then it is extremely unlikely you would be able to afford to quit your job for a year, if anything you are likely to need the money more than ever, as they are no longer financially active. I know several people that has happened to and the loss of one income was bad enough, what are you supposed to do, just not pay your mortgage/rent

Or if you are single and looking after a parent or older / adult child (no benefits) or other significant other....

I love the way they said in the interview on Today Programme "in the last year of life".
Right... so magically we now know when someone is entering their last year of life, do we? What if they don't die in that magical 52 week period? Lose your job because it was 54 weeks not 52?

By the way DON'T be fooled by the "guarantee" for EU-level workers rights post-brexit.

Most existing UK rights and benefits (for example Maternity leave) far exceed the EU requirements.

The idea that all (or most) workers rights accrue from the EU was a myth put about to try scare people into voting remain.

The Tories (or anyone) could cut back on rights and benefits A LOT and still be within the EU rules.

But sometimes you have no option but to quit your job. If it's your child who is sick then you can't just choose not to take care of them. No one else is going to do it. I had to give up my job and couldn't pay the mortgage so had to go into council housing and claim benefits to pay the rent.

I was signed off sick for nine weeks when my husband died, after my employer reminded me they would otherwise "have to" start docking my pay on day 8 (the funeral). A colleague whose wife died suddenly was back in the office days later as he craved routine, we're all different.
Tories are not the party of workers' rights. Refer to the doubling of the length of time in which you can be sacked for no reason (2 years), the Trade Union Act last year, and now the determination to do away with existing protection. www.ier.org.uk/news/tories-filibuster-bill-protect-basic-workers-rights-post-brexit

Yes, brilliantly in touch with 'ordinary working people' who can just decide not have any income for a year but do a full time job ie caring for someone. Why on earth hasn't anyone thought millions of people working for no money before?

Surely if you took a year off work to be a carer you wont get benefits because you'll still be in employment. And I hardly think the Tory's will create a caveat to dish out a special benefit for this situation.

Plus, what happens if you take a year but the person your caring for dies, you try to return to work (because you're financially desperate) and you're job has been temp replacement? That temp can't suddenly be sacked can they?

The first thing that should have been dealt with is zero hours contracts, all this tinkering round the edge doesn't compare to the change that should be made in relation to zero hours employment.

A two week minimum is a great easy to ensure worse working places don't penalize people who need it. If you need more the doctors will sign you off. Realistically they're never going to sign up to endless paid leave no matter what the circumstances.

A years unpaid leave is basically what my company offered when it became clear how poorly my son was. It meant they could cover my position with a 12 month contract rather than ad hoc cover or paying me full time to be on sick leave to care for him. I took redundancy because I knew o needed longer (if I'd taken it I'd be due to go back now and we're definitely not ready) but t was an option to retain a good worker (me) whilst giving me space to prioritize my family. Ok the only money i get is carers but if you need to care for someone then you often don't have a choice

Surely if you took a year off work to be a carer you wont get benefits because you'll still be in employment. carers, £62 a week. But if the alternative is quitting to care and then struggling to get back into work...