Legal right to flexible working needed for Work-Life balance

1 Mar 2007

Congress said today (March 1) that all workers must enjoy a legal right to flexible working if a genuine work-life balance is to become a sustainable reality.

Speaking at the launch of National Work Life Balance Day, Congress Assistant General Secretary, Sally Anne Kinahan said: "Ireland sits at the wrong end of almost every comparative chart or graph, in relation to the policies and measures that make Work Life Balance possible."

She said the situation for many working people was actually deteriorating, rather than improving and it would require state intervention in the form of legislation.

"Working people need to see a major shift in the way work is organised to accommodate the demands of their lives outside of the workplace.

"While much valuable work has been undertaken through the National Framework Committee on Work Life Balance, government policy and employer approaches are failing to keep up with the needs of people who want work reorganised to improve their lives."

She outlined what Congress believes will be necessary to make work life balance a sustainable reality for Irish people:

  • The introduction of an entitlement to flexible working arrangements for all workers
  • The establishment of an infrastructure of care and the provision of improved leave arrangements and supports to enhance Work Life Balance for working parents.

Ms Kinahan said that for many, work had now come to dominate their lives and they were "close to breaking point" in trying to juggle the demands of work and personal lives.

"However, the biggest obstacle confronting workers who want to avail of opportunities to undertake training or second chance education is the absence of paid leave arrangements and inflexible work patterns," Ms Kinahan said.

"And many mothers returning to work after the birth of a child find that flexible work is often not available at the equivalent level to an existing job. The tendency is for them to take work that fits with the demands of their lives thus undermining salary and career progression and often ending up in jobs for which they are overqualified."

In March 2006, the CSO revealed that 80 percent of the Irish workforce had no control over their work start or finish times and were therefore barred from availing of flexible working options.

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