Grandparents could share parental leave under a Labour government
Friday, April 17, 2015
Labour would consult on allowing parents to transfer unpaid parental leave to grandparents.
In plans unveiled by Labour’s deputy leader Harriet Harman, working grandparents could be able to take up to four weeks a year of unpaid leave to look after their grandchildren.
The proposal is included in the party’s women’s manifesto, which was launched at LEYF’s Stockwell Gardens Nursery in south London.
Also visiting the nursery were Yvette Cooper and Gloria De Piero.
Labour says that one in ten women retire early to care for a family member, and eight million grandparents are providing some childcare.
‘I think we are showing women that we are on their side and will stand up for them in Government,’ Ms Harman said.
‘But I think that what we are saying about grandparents [is that we] recognise how many families depend on grandparents to help with children while the parents are working, but also that those grandparents are not retired, they are working now, they are working longer.
‘And therefore this new policy on grandparents I think is going to be incredibly important.’
The current parental leave entitlement is 18 weeks of paid leave for each child and adopted child, up to their 18th birthday.
Each parent can take up to four weeks of unpaid parental leave in a year.
If Labour wins the general election, it would consult on the plan to allow grandparents to share in 18 weeks of unpaid parental leave, for up to four weeks in any one year.
The charity Grandparents Plus welcomed the plans.
Sam Smethers, chief executive of Grandparents Plus, said, ‘Grandparents are the hidden army of carers in Britain today. We know that 1 in 5 working parents – 2 million of them – would give up work without grandparents to rely on. But increasingly grandparents are working too. So this policy is also a win for employers as it helps both parents and grandparents stay in work.’
A Grandparents Plus Survation poll last month that found that one in five working parents would give up their jobs if they did not have grandparents to rely on to help with childcare, and of these a similar proportion would cut their hours.
According to the charity, around 1.9 million grandparents have given up a job, reduced their hours or taken days off sick to provide childcare.
