Extended leave

Some workers – both BAME and white workers from distant continents — have family ties far away and may need longer periods of leave for visiting them than are generally allowed by the employer. The EHRC’s Employment statutory code says employers should seek to accommodate such a request – provided the worker has sufficient holiday due to them and it is reasonable for them to be absent from work during the period requested.

Unite’s race equality guide suggests unions try to negotiate a broad arrangement for this, noting that some companies allow workers to take additional leave every few years, which would mean that they could take several weeks at one time. It says: “This could be agreed by the worker being allowed to carry over some days’ leave for two years or the extra leave may be unpaid, if that is what the worker wants to do.”

Unite advises union reps to try to win support in the workforce for such extended leave, as colleagues will often have to cover absences. One way would be to get the entitlement broadened to cover other staff, for other reasons. Unite also says any agreement should:

• make sure continuity of employment during leave is guaranteed and pension rights and other benefits are protected; and

• the right to delay return because of illness or other problems is explicit.