Labour Manifesto for women - unpaid leave for grandparents

Tegan

Nobody can say the Daily Politics is not giving the smaller parties coverage, I gave up listening to him I must admit .

Especially the guy with the frock on today #whatwasheabout?

Watch the whole program Andrew Neil gave Shadow Housing Minister Emma Reynolds a right roasting too over her parties housing policies.

Daily Politics , one of the best political progs on t.v. Takes no prisoners AN.

Talking about small businesses, this deserves to be watched.

www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/2015/04/27/watch-andrew-neil-call-out-out-david-gauke-for-telegraph-stunt_n_7150674.html

Actually, I heard on the radio today that yawning is the body's way of airing the brain when it gets overheated - rather like a computer fan!

Good luck to all small business striving hard to make a go of it with all the rules and red tape from government and Europe.

Typo!

Isn't yawning is supposed to be a way of getting more air into the lungs, perhaps if someone has been huffing and puffing?

Nice to hear the thoughts of those who are continually in the firing lineline and have to cope with government legislation such as this proposal, by governments of any colour.

It must be a nightmare at times with little thanks or understanding from the general public that you are providing employment and raising taxes .

Exactly soontobe. Time for some consideration for the multiplicity of small businesses which keep the country going. If govts offer all these allowances (which they don't pay for) how can small businesses keep going or hope to remain competitive? They're tied up in expensive and time consuming red tape as it is. If, by some miracle they make a profit they are referred to as fat cats living off the backs of 'the workers'! God help small businesses because Govt surely won't.

Many many businesses, even small ones, are facing ever increasing price pressures from abroad.

You can factor things in, but good luck in still getting the same amount of customers once you have increased prices.

Yawn

Sorry Mollie not Millie.

GrannyTwice it seems to me your the one huffing and puffing.

I don't understand what all this huffing and puffing is about. This current system of unpaid parental leave was brought in by the coalition in April. All that Labour are seeking to do is allow grandparents to share the allowance as well. There is no proposal to increase the present allowance

No. Durhamjen customers can't be expected to cover these costs. Of course businesses could put their prices up but risk business being outsourced to much cheaper countries -China etc. Lose lose situation. Political talk is cheap!

But do you not factor it into your prices, GillT?

millie65 I agree with you.

Gillybob I have a small business with 8 employees and had 2 off on maternity leave at the same time which was a nightmare of juggling temps and other members of staff, as well as making sure that the other staff had their holidays too of course. While the Statutory Maternity Pay (SMP) was reimbursed, the time off for ante-natal visits is not so this cost my business a lot of money in relative terms. Also, many people probably do not appreciate that Statutory Sick Pay (SSP) is paid by employers but is no longer re-imbursed, so if like me, you have a staff member off for 8 weeks after surgery, yet again I have to pay. Going slightly off subject perhaps, but before people start getting all enthusiastic or otherwise about yet more proposals for flexibility/time off/parental leave etc., do spare a thought for the small business who ends up picking up the bill, it is rarely the taxpayer.

rosequartz "Another stab in the back for industry". What are the other stabs in the back?

The government UK Trade & Investments site states:

"the UK has the second lowest labour costs per hour out of ten major locations."

(It is estimated that the number of workers earning the minimum wage has doubled over the last few years to 1 in 20. Additionally, zero hours contracts - which are also become more common - save employers even more money and deny workers basic employment rights that are available to permanent employees.)

The same site states that we are top of the table for "Flexibility of Labour Regulations" and that we have the lowest Corporation Tax out of France, Germany, Spain, Italy and the Netherlands.

Children are the responsibility of both parents and yet it is often women who are expected to work and to carry out the bulk of domestic duties. Grandparents are increasingly needed for childcare because the cost of childcare in this country is prohibitive for many workers on low and even average wages. If businesses need women workers - which they do - I don't think it is unreasonable for them to make some adjustments to the way they operate to take account of the fact that people have families.

Sadly Elegran small businesses are not exempt from anything (I would be very happy to be corrected though) maternity,paternity,carers,adoption leave all applies as it does to huge corporations. At the risk of being accused of hypocrisy our small business would fold if even two people had leave at the same time. We are specialist engineers and for us it would be impossible to get a temp in and train them well enough to offer cover. On the other hand I am very fortunate to be able to look after my grandchildren for a couple of days during the week as I am able to make the hours up to suit. It is not unknown for DH and I to be working at midnight or all weekend (unpaid) playing catchup, something that an employee would probably not be keen on doing. As Jane10 says easy for politicians to talk about but not at all easy for small businesses to work around.

I can't see a solution really except for flexible breakfast and tea time clubs during term time and perhaps reasonably priced "childcare clubs" for older children during holidays. To be honest I cannot see how most parents can be expected to carry out a full time jobs without the support of other family members. Let's face it most people only have 4-5 weeks holiday from work per year and most jobs start at 8-9 am until 4-5 pm so hardly in line with school times.

But it is not just small businesses - I worked with someone years ago who used to have most Mondays off (a 'duvet' day - or hangover). Then when she became pregnant she was off for a lot of the pregnancy unwell, then off on maternity leave (not so long in those days). When she returned she was often off or skiving off early. At the time I was coping with three children and an elderly mum as well as working.
I felt pressurised and beleagured but was expected to get on with it.
Then she became pregnant again.
After the 2nd baby arrived and her maternity leave ended she decided to throw in the towel and left and they replaced her. Thank goodness.

I think small businesses are exempt from some things - gillybob could probably wax eloquent on the subject.

Jane10 has just said what I was going to say (but she has expressed it better).
Another stab in the back for industry - and it does affect those without gc as they are left to pick up the pieces at work.

What about the 'pain element ' to small businesses? There's more to staffing than just whether or not people are on paid or unpaid leave. Actually getting the job done whether its in an office, cafe, shop or wherever giving this 'right' is easy for politicians to talk about than for small businesses to actually sustain.

Elegran: like your reductio ad absurdum. Overheard on a train, three schoolgirls discussing fractures. One said that she'd like to break her arm because she'd never had it in plaster. Not sure she had factored in the pain element of broken bones!