19 January 2000

FARREN ANNOUNCES CONSULTATION ON NEW RIGHTS FOR PART-TIMERS

Employment Minister, Dr Sean Farren, today revealed that Northern Ireland will have its own consultation exercise on proposals to give part-time workers the same rights as those employed on a full-time basis.

The Minister said: "Earlier this week the Department of Trade and Industry in Great Britain published a consultation document containing proposals designed to ensure that part-time workers are not treated unfairly.

"I am announcing today the start of a similar Northern Ireland consultation exercise to ensure that our employees are not left behind and that our 200,000 part-timers are not treated as second class citizens."

The Minister explained that the proposals outlined in the consultation document will give part-timers the right:

• to receive the same hourly rate as comparable full-time employees;

• to receive the same hourly rate of overtime as comparable full-time employees, once they have worked more than the normal full-time hours;

• not to be excluded from training simply because they work part-time;

• to the same entitlements to annual leave and maternity/parental leave on a pro-rata basis as full-time colleagues.

Dr Farren continued: "Part-time workers should not be thought of as being of less value or importance than those who work full-time.

"They are a vital part of the economy. They increase the total available pool of labour and can offer companies a flexible, efficient, experienced and cost effective workforce.

"It is entirely in keeping with our aim of social inclusion that we should try to ensure that those people who work part-time are treated no less favourably than others. At the same time we must strike a balance by ensuring that we do not impose any unnecessary bureaucratic burdens on business.

"The proposals being put forward in this consultation exercise aim to strike that balance. I urge businesses, trade unions and all interested individuals to give us their views and play a full part in the consultation process."

 

NOTE TO EDITORS

The consultation exercise will run until 27 February 2000. Copies of the consultation document, "Part-Time Work – Public Consultation" are available from Industrial Relations and Redundancy Payments Branch, Department of Higher and Further Education, Training and Employment, Netherleigh, Massey Avenue, Belfast BT4 2JP, Tel: 01232 529299.

There are approximately 200,000 part-time employees in Northern Ireland (150,000 females and 50,000 males).

For further information please contact Simon Burrowes on 01232 257831.