The TUC is calling on employers to offer furlough to all parents affected by school closures.

This week the government announced that schools would not reopen to all children as planned, and will instead remain closed to all except for the children of key workers. The TUC says that this series of chaotic statements and last-minute approach has left working parents in real difficulties.

The job retention scheme allows bosses to furlough parents who can’t work due to a lack of childcare. Furlough is available from a minimum of seven days – which would allow parents to share childcare over the coming weeks – and can also be given on a part-time basis.

But the TUC is concerned that not all bosses are aware that caring responsibilities are an acceptable reason to furlough, so many parents will have no choice but to take unpaid time off work to care for their children – or even be forced to leave their jobs altogether.

Employers can help their staff get through this crisis and give them a financial lifeline by offering them furlough, says the union body.

Self-employed working parents will also need help, says the TUC, stating that they should have automatic access to the self-employed income support scheme (SEISS) alongside broader improvements to the scheme. Otherwise – already struggling after months of disruption to childcare – they could find themselves falling into serious financial difficulty and debt.

Impact on women
When schools closed in March, working mums picked up the lion’s share of caring responsibilities. TUC polling published in September found one in six (16%) mums – mostly those in low-paid jobs – had been given no choice but to reduce their working hours due to school and nursery closures.

The TUC is concerned women with children will be disproportionately affected by school closures once again. And single parents – nine out of ten of whom are women – will also be affected as they are less likely to have someone to share the burden of care with.

TUC General Secretary Frances O’Grady said:

“The health and safety of school staff, children and parents and the wider community must come first. This government has failed to keep school staff safe in their workplaces. With many schools closed, many families will be frantically trying to find a way to balance their work and childcare commitments.

“Without further action, many will have no choice but to cut their hours or take unpaid leave from work. This will lead to further hardship and will hit mums and single parents hardest. Employers must do the right thing and furlough mums and dads who can’t work because of childcare responsibilities. And the government should give all parents the right to work flexibly plus ten days’ paid parental leave each year.”

Government must do more
Ensuring that employers offer access to the job retention scheme to working parents will help the immediate crisis, the union says, but the government must do more to fix the flaws in the parental leave system. The TUC is calling on the government to introduce:

• A day-one right to ten days' paid parental leave. Currently parents have no statutory right to paid leave to look after their children.
• A day-one right to flexible work. Flexible working can take lots of different forms, including having predictable or set hours, working from home, job-sharing, compressed hours and term-time working.