Family friendly employment rights

05 January 2017

​The Employment Forum is consulting on whether the current family friendly employment rights should be extended. The Forum’s consultation asks for your views on possible changes including;

• longer periods of maternity, parental and adoption leave
  
• allowing a longer period of leave to be shared by two parents
  
• giving surrogate parents rights to leave
  
• time off to attend antenatal appointments for fathers and partners
  
• time off to attend adoption appointments for adoptive parents
  
• the right to request flexible working for all employees, not just those with caring responsibilities
  

The Forum would also like to hear about the impact of the current family friendly employment rights on employers and working parents and your views generally about how we might create a straightforward system of shared parental leave to meet the needs of families in Jersey.

Helen Ruelle, Chair of the Employment Forum, said “The current rights came into force last September and were based on recommendations made by the Employment Forum some time ago. We have now been asked to consult on extending this protection to improve the position for parents in the workplace and perhaps to introduce greater equality in childcare roles between men and women.

"This is a major project for the Forum. We will consult over the next 3 months and we want to hear from anyone who is affected, or who might be affected in the future. We will then look at all of the responses and any other relevant evidence which will help us to decide whether any changes to the law should be recommended to the Social Security Minister.”

The survey is available to complete online at www.gov.je/consult and respondents are encouraged to read the short consultation paper which provides relevant background information. Copies can be obtained by emailing the Forum Secretary E.Forum@gov.je or telephoning +44 (0) 1534 447203. Respondents may also contact the Secretary to arrange to attend a meeting with the Forum during the consultation period. Responses must be submitted by 17 March 2017.