The Department for the Economy has launched a public consultation on a range of policy areas relating to employment rights. Included within this is:
• a proposal for five days unpaid carer’s leave from work
• a proposal for the right to request flexible working from day one of employment.
The Department is also seeking views on whether carer’s leave from work should be a paid right.
Carers NI believes that no carer should be financially disadvantaged due to their caring role and that all carers should have a right to carer’s leave. In the current cost of living crisis, and with 1 in 4 local carers living in poverty, the reality is that not all carers can afford to lose wages and take unpaid carer’s leave.
We believe that making five days carer’s leave a paid statutory right would help all unpaid carers in employment to fulfil their caring responsibilities without the worry of losing income.
Every voice counts in this consultation, and we encourage you to show your support for paid carer’s leave by using this template response below and responding to the consultation by emailing goodjobsconsultation@economy-ni.gov.uk
There is also space at the end of the template response to share how this would impact you personally.
Make your voice count!
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Dear Minister
Paid Carer’s Leave
I believe paid carer’s leave should be a right enshrined in law. The Government should be responsible for making the payment and that the rate of pay should be at the employee’s full wage.
Employment legislation to support unpaid carers in the workplace lags behind the rest of the UK and I am pleased to see this being addressed in your Employment Rights Bill.
I welcome the proposal for carer’s leave. Carer’s leave gives carers, like me, the time and space to perform caring duties, without the stress of trying to juggle employment at the same time, or having to use holiday leave for caring.
However, to be effective, carer’s leave needs to be paid. More than 1 in 4 carers in Northern Ireland currently live in poverty. We need our wages to pay for essentials like food, electricity and heating. Many of us cannot afford to give up five days pay.
As unpaid carers we are saving the public purse billions of pounds every year in care costs and it is unfair to penalise us for taking essential time out of the workplace to perform caring duties.
I ask that you to go further with your proposal and make carer’s leave paid.
Allow all carers in Northern Ireland to take up this vital statutory support, recognise the value of unpaid carers and enable them to balance employment with their caring role.
Space to share how carer’s leave would specifically help you. For example, taking the person you care for to their hospital appointments.