Law Queries
Unpaid leave
Q. Our member, having used up all her paid holiday, wants to take
unpaid leave to take her young child to visit aged grandparents in the Lake District.
The employer has refused her request — can anything be done?
A. Provided that your member has one year’s service and her child is under the age of five, she will probably be able to take Parental Leave.
All parents can take up to four weeks’ unpaid leave, provided they give 21 days’ notice. The leave must be taken a minimum of one week at a time.
If disabled children are involved then the leave entitlement is higher.
However, the employer can postpone any time off for up to six months, if it has sufficient business reasons.