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Industrial action / strikesHolidays and holiday pay

Teachers’ strike: employees’ rights to time off

by Jo Faragher 26 Mar 2014
by Jo Faragher 26 Mar 2014 REX/London News Pictures
REX/London News Pictures

Thousands of employers and their staff face disruption today as teachers strike over pay, pensions and working conditions.

Many schools have been closed or are running on reduced teaching capacity after members of the two largest teaching unions – the National Union of Teachers and the NASUWT – voted in favour of strike action.

According to XpertHR guidance, employees who need to take time off to care for dependents who cannot attend school can ask to take time out of their normal holiday entitlement.

In addition, employees are entitled to a reasonable amount of unpaid time off for dependents to deal with “emergency” situations such as this. Staff must properly notify their employer of the anticipated absence or they could lose this entitlement.

Employers could also consider whether it is possible for affected staff to work from home, or consider swapping shifts or working flexitime.

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As a last resort, employees who are refused time off may resort to unauthorised absence, in which case employers should consider all the circumstances before taking formal action, according to XpertHR.

Further resources on time off for dependents.

Jo Faragher

Jo Faragher has been an employment and business journalist for 20 years. She regularly contributes to Personnel Today and writes features for a number of national business and membership magazines. Jo is also the author of 'Good Work, Great Technology', published in 2022 by Clink Street Publishing, charting the relationship between effective workplace technology and productive and happy employees. She won the Willis Towers Watson HR journalist of the year award in 2015 and has been highly commended twice.

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1 comment

Halix 3 Apr 2014 - 12:10 pm

NASUWT didn’t strike. I’m sure both unions agree, though, that children dependent on someone else are “depandants”.
Go to the bottom of the class!
😉

Comments are closed.

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