The STUC will campaign for a legal right
to flexible working and will support affiliate
trade unions to challenge unreasonable
and discriminatory management practices.
Seconding the motion from the teaching
union NASUWT, UNISON’s Maggie Cook
told delegates that flexible working,
when handled well, can enhance workers’
quality of life and lead to a happier
and more productive workforce.
She said that her own local authority
had initially encouraged flexible working
but it wasn’t managed well, and
as a result more and more applications
were being turned down.
However, with budget cuts beginning
to bite, flexible working is back on the
agenda and in services that refused before
even to consider it.
“We welcome the change in legislation
to broaden the request to work flexibly
to all employees regardless of gender,
caring responsibilities or health reasons.
“However we need to campaign to
secure the right to flexible working NOT
just the right to request it.”
Maggie called on affiliate trade unions
to learn from each other by sharing their
experience of best practice in this area.
