PM's pledge to help carer workers

Millions of carers could benefit

Carers' groups have welcomed Tony Blair's pledge to allow them the right to demand flexible working hours.

The prime minister said people who look after sick or disabled relatives would be able to ask employers for hours to fit round their caring duties.

Emily Holzhausen, of Carers UK, said it would help carers who want to work. "This is very good news and will make a difference to millions of carers."

The Equal Opportunities Commission said the move would be "massively popular".

More rights

The plans would affect around half of Britain's six million carers.

Many would like to combine caring with having a job, but some have been forced to give up their work to look after sick or disabled relatives because of inflexible hours.

Pregnancy is something you plan for, you can't plan for when your wife gets MS Emily Holzhausen Carers UK

At a Big Conversation meeting in Downing Street to discuss work-life balance, Mr Blair pledged to extend to carers the same rights as those introduced to parents in the workplace.

He said carers often could not get the time off work they needed to perform their caring responsibilities.

"The notion is to give them that right to request it from their employers and their employer has then got to consider it," he said.

"There's some financial support and then there is greater flexibility of working too. We are trying to make sure we get more money to people who need it," he told GMTV.

Overnight change

Mr Blair's pledge has delighted groups like Help the Aged and Carers UK, which is in touch with 350,000 carers across the UK.

I wasn't getting enough sleep, any time to myself to do normal things around the house and I wasn't spending any quality time with Susan Carer Tony Camp-Bell Carers 'must get flexitime'

"There are a huge number of reasons carers have to stop working - many are similar to the problems people face with childcare," said Ms Holzhausen, of Carers UK.

"If the bus doesn't come to take your mum to the day centre on time, you don't get to work on time.

"Having flexibility makes a real difference. Sometimes people need to work at home or make other arrangements to manage these situations.

"A caring situation can happen over night or gradually. Pregnancy is something you plan for, you can't plan for when your wife gets MS."

Isolation

Ms Holzhausen told BBC News Online that many carers end up with huge financial problems because they have to quit work to look after a sick relative, therefore damaging their future work prospects.

Having a job also takes away the isolation felt by many carers, she said.

"Working carers will tell you that having a job is a break, it's a change of scene, it gets them away from thinking about caring. It's really important to them," she said.

A Help the Aged spokeswoman welcomed Mr Blair's announcement, adding: "This announcement will allow an increased number of carers to combine care responsibilities with work."

Telecoms giant BT estimates that 15% of Britain's workforce cares for someone needing special attention at home, saving the economy £57m a year.

Rights for all?

"Supporting carers makes good sense for both the individuals and their company," said Caroline Waters, BT's director of People Networks.

"Anyone who manages to coordinate care arrangements on top of their work shows an aptitude for managing time and resources - key marketable skills."

Julie Mellor, chair of the Equal Opportunities Commission, said almost one in five carers had given up or turned down a job because of their responsibilities.

She said Mr Blair's pledge would "give those who want to work a far greater chance of being able to do so", which in turn would boost their quality of life and the British economy.

The Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development said ministers should consider extending the right to all workers.