Carers Rights In The UK Boosted By Legal Ruling
As the UK population continue to live longer and longer on average, a landmark ruling has been confirmed by the European Court of Justice which gives primary carers the same rights as disabled people. The case was brought by British woman Sharon Coleman who was forced to quit her role as a legal secretary in 2005 after she was refused flexible working hours to care for her disabled son.
Faced with not being around when her son needed her or seeing her income reduced substantially, she took the natural route and chose to leave to care for her son full time. Ms Coleman claims she was only asking for the same flexibility as other colleagues with children but this was refused and she was accused of being 'lazy' after making repeated claims for time off to care for her son.
Morally there is every reason for the courts to grant primary carers the same rights as disabled people, because they are affectively there for their disabled siblings when required, however it may have repercussions in the world of business. If left to choose between two candidates for a position, one with a child who needed more than average caring, and one without such demands on their time, many employers will be tempted to move for the one without such demands on their time.
This then leaves the employer open to discrimination and the possibility of a hefty compensation claim - but what else can they do?
Share this..
Related stories
Lifetime mortgages grow in importance
Nearly 25 per cent of mortgage advisers anticipate that lifetime and equity release mortgages will continue to grow in importance in the next five years, according to a new survey. The report by Prudential also shows that while managing inheritance tax and making plans for retirement loom largest in people's list of worries, the ease with which an equity release product can be understood is just...
Read MoreUK drops out of worlds top ten economies
In a move which is sure to be raised in parliament it has been revealed that the UK has fallen out of the top ten of the most powerful economies in the world. Slipping 3 places to 12th the UK has suffered as a consequence of the slowing economy, high consumer debt and weak public purse which together has seen a number of countries leap frog the UK in the rankings.
While many expect...
HM Revenue and Customs struggling to cope with call volumes
The Whitehall spending watchdog has today revealed that four out of ten telephone calls to HM Revenue and Customs went unanswered in the tax year 2008/09. This equates to a staggering 44 million calls out of the 103 million received over the period. While the department employs the equivalent of over 10,000 full-time staff at a cost of £233 million there are serious concerns about value for money...
Read MoreWill the UK government be recompensed for Icelandic banking collapse compensation?
There are serious signs today that the Icelandic government may not yet be in a position to sign off a £3.4 billion payout in relation to the recent Icelandic banking collapse. Despite the fact that the compensation package has been voted through the Icelandic parliament there is growing resistance amongst Icelandic nationals who feel that they are being made to pay the price for political indif...
Read MoreUK bank shares fall further as currency suffers
Sterling has fallen further in the currency markets after a turbulent morning saw yet more falls in the UK banking sector. The FTSE was down 2% at midday and the vast majority of the fall was purely down to the banking sector. The fall in the currency, the fall in the FTSE and the fall in banking shares is a reflection of the reduced confidence in the UK economy and the UK government.
Read More