Government to Respond on Modern Workplaces Consultation “early this year”

Government to Respond on Modern Workplaces Consultation “early this year”

Tuesday 3 January, 2012

The Government has said that it will be issuing its response to the Modern Workplaces Consultation "early this year". 

The Consultation, launched in May 2011, sets out the Government’s plans for a culture of flexible, family-friendly employment practices and includes proposals to: 

• Extend the right to request flexible working to all employees with 26 weeks’ service; 
• Amend the Working Time Regulations to allow carry over of untaken holiday due to sickness and family leave, to reflect ECJ decisions; 
• Introduce a new system of flexible parental leave under which a period of 18 weeks' maternity leave would be reserved exclusively for mothers, followed by a period of 34 weeks' parental leave shared with the other parent; and 
• Require employment tribunals to order an employer to conduct and publish a pay audit if it has breached discrimination laws.