It has been confirmed that the Government will postpone the proposed extension to employees’ right to unpaid parental leave until 2013.

 Under the Parental Leave Directive parents with children under 5 years of age will be entitled to take up to 18 weeks unpaid parental leave, an increase of 5 weeks on what current legislation provides for.

 Whilst the European Directive comes into force on 8 March 2012, EU member states have been given a transition period of up to a year; which the Government has announced it will utilise in light of ongoing development of its Modern Workplace policy.

 It is within the Government’s Modern Workplaces policy, in particular the system of flexible parental leave to which the policy refers, that the directive will be incorporated. Yet the increase in the right to unpaid parental leave will come into force sooner than other proposals set out in the policies, which are expected to come into force in 2015.

 Despite the change, it is questionable as to how much of an impact the Directive will actually have within the workplace as very few employees make full use of their right to unpaid parental leave as it is.

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Tags: Employment