[Isle of Man] Progress in plans to introduce shared parental leave

The Isle of Man’s enterprise minister, Lawrie Hooper, has announced that plans to introduce shared parental leave to the island are to be brought forward, BBC News reports.

In a public consultation, 94 per cent of the 376 respondents backed the move and a Tynwald committee has called for its introduction to support families.

According to Mr Hooper, draft new employment laws would be brought forward in May.

The island was "far behind" the UK, where shared leave for new parents was introduced in 2015, he said.

The right to share leave after the birth or adoption of a child is reportedly one of a raft of new parental rights the Department for Enterprise plans to include in the bill, which will be introduced into the House of Keys.

Mr Hooper said the move would ensure the island had "fit for purpose" employment legislation.

Other new rights would include time off work for partners to attend antenatal and adoption appointments, to deal with "unforeseen circumstances" and in the event of a bereavement.

The changes reportedly attracted strong support in the consultation, however, some concerns were raised about their potential impact on businesses.

Mr Hooper said that while many firms already offered the benefits to attract workers, the reforms would need to be introduced in a way that would give all employers time to adapt.

However, he said, the introduction of a statutory pay system for parental leave instead of the current method of allowances would not immediately be progressed despite support for the idea.

That change would have to be considered by the Treasury as part of wider changes to the island's benefits system, according to the minister.

The proposed laws would also reportedly include rights for workers on zero-hours contracts to request written terms of employment, as well as a series of changes to whistleblowing rules.

Source: BBC News

(Links via original reporting)

The Isle of Man’s enterprise minister, Lawrie Hooper, has announced that plans to introduce shared parental leave to the island are to be brought forward, BBC News reports.

In a public consultation, 94 per cent of the 376 respondents backed the move and a Tynwald committee has called for its introduction to support families.

According to Mr Hooper, draft new employment laws would be brought forward in May.

The island was "far behind" the UK, where shared leave for new parents was introduced in 2015, he said.

The right to share leave after the birth or adoption of a child is reportedly one of a raft of new parental rights the Department for Enterprise plans to include in the bill, which will be introduced into the House of Keys.

Mr Hooper said the move would ensure the island had "fit for purpose" employment legislation.

Other new rights would include time off work for partners to attend antenatal and adoption appointments, to deal with "unforeseen circumstances" and in the event of a bereavement.

The changes reportedly attracted strong support in the consultation, however, some concerns were raised about their potential impact on businesses.

Mr Hooper said that while many firms already offered the benefits to attract workers, the reforms would need to be introduced in a way that would give all employers time to adapt.

However, he said, the introduction of a statutory pay system for parental leave instead of the current method of allowances would not immediately be progressed despite support for the idea.

That change would have to be considered by the Treasury as part of wider changes to the island's benefits system, according to the minister.

The proposed laws would also reportedly include rights for workers on zero-hours contracts to request written terms of employment, as well as a series of changes to whistleblowing rules.

Source: BBC News

(Links via original reporting)