Work, Life, Family - Policy Framework

Congress also notes that the right to request a change to working arrangements to meet caring responsibilities or to extend unpaid parental leave3 are the only two provisions of the FWA which specifically deny workers the procedural justice of a right to appeal an unreasonable refusal unless they are able to negotiate the right as part of their workplace agreement.4 This discriminates against work. [...] Unions will campaign to improve the National Employment Standard (NES) to: a) Extend the eligibility for the right to request a change to working arrangements to meet caring responsibilities to include ‘any employee who cares or expects to care for a dependant who reasonably relies on the employee for care’; and b) Ensure all employees have a right to appeal an employer’s unreasonable refusal of a. [...] Unions will seek to improve the NES Parental Leave entitlements and the Paid Parental Leave Scheme through the 2013-14 scheduled Review in order to: a) Align the NES eligibility criteria for unpaid parental leave with that of the Paid Parental Leave Scheme; b) Provide for employer superannuation contributions to be made on periods of paid and unpaid parental and secondary carers leave; c) Provide. [...] In addition, unions urge the government to ensure that the proposed Dad and Partner Leave legislation: Is clearly drafted to ensure that employers and employees may agree to bargain for top up of the government component; and Provides employers with the option of passing the government payment on to employees as part of the normal pay cycle. [...] Congress supports the conduct of appropriate further research to identify the key issues relating to the interface of family and domestic violence and the workplace.