Married Dependants Employment Issues!

adam918

Hi,
I will try to keep this short and sweet...

I have just been informed of an impending short notice 6 monther. My wife currently works at a health club two days a week while our 2 year old daughter goes to nursery.
Having informed her employer that she would only be able to work between 8 and 5 (nursery hrs) due to me going away. (currently she can work for an 8 hr stint anytime between 6am and 10pm) her employee's have informed her that she is not being flexible and that they would have to advertise her job. My wife immediately handed in her notice as she effectively had no other option.

As i am about to deploy i think that it is disgusting that they wont even look at offering her a solution just while i'm away. My question is... are there any legal routes we can take, failing that would going to the press be worthwhile?

Has anyone else been in this situation???

Many thanks

Adam

Andy_L

http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/employment/employees/flexibleworking/dg_10029491

She has the right to request flexible working and
"your employer must seriously consider an application you make, and only reject it if there are good business reasons for doing so. You have the right to ask for flexible working - not the right to have it. Employers can reasonably decline your application where there is a legitimate business ground."

System

Andy_L wrote: »

http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/employment/employees/flexibleworking/dg_10029491

She has the right to request flexible working

She MAY have the statutory right. We have no information on whether she has worked for them continuously for the last 26 weeks

If it's just the normal right to request flexi then employer doesn't have to consider the request.