Green Bill a Big Step for Work-Life Balance

The Green Party Bill to allow flexible working hours for parents of young children would give much-needed legislative backing to an important work-life balance arrangement, Council of Trade Unions secretary Carol Beaumont said today.The Employment Relations (Flexible Working Hours) Amendment Bill has been selected from the parliamentary ballot. It would give employees with young children the right to request reduced, part-time or flexible hours.

Unions know that the pressure to balance work and family life is a major problem for many workers ? particularly women in paid work who also shoulder the main caring responsibilities in families, Carol Beaumont said.

"Work-life balance is about employment equity for women, she said. "It is also a worthwhile investment for employers to attract and keep valuable women workers."

Unions continued to bargain for improvements in collective employment agreements that increased work-life balance, Carol Beaumont said. "But this is an issue that also needs support in the law."