Parents in low-paid jobs in Yorkshire are being penalised by bad bosses, a report has claimed.
Mums and dads who ask their bosses for family-friendly working patterns end up getting fewer hours, working worse shifts and in some cases losing their jobs, according to the report by the TUC.
The report said that there were almost 300,000 young working parents in Yorkshire and the Humber. And while more than 216,000 jobs had been created in the region between 2011 and 2016, almost 40,000 of them – 18% of the total – were “insecure” jobs involving agency work, zero hours contracts and low paid self-employment.
The TUC said such workers often did not qualify for vital employment rights that help balance work and home life – and that young mums and dads in insecure jobs were more likely to be given shifts at short notice and work irregular hours, making it much more difficult to plan childcare.
The study of more than 1,000 low-paid parents found that one in four had their shifts changed at short notice and one in five had been given their rota less than a week in advance, making planning childcare very difficult.
Some 58% of parents working in low-paid sectors like retail, hospitality and social care did not know their employee rights and 63% weren’t aware of their right to unpaid parental leave.
The TUC said it was calling for all workers to have the right to be notified of their shifts one month in advance and for all working parents to have the same parents’ rights from day one in their jobs. Currently, these rights are only available to workers with “employee” status – meaning 1.5m workers won’t have access to these rights if they become parents.
TUC regional secretary Bill Adams said: “Too many workplaces expect mums and dads to forget all about their kids as soon as they walk through the door. But it’s a nightmare to plan childcare when your boss changes your shifts at the drop of a hat and you never work the same weekly hours twice.
“All workers should be given notice of their shifts at least one month in advance. Everyone at work should get the same parents’ rights from day one – and everyone should be given written information about these rights.”
