Un paid parental leave

savings37

A quick question

I put in a request for unpaid parental leave, it has been rejected and a new date has been given by the employer.

What are my rights if I reject this new date? 

Also, can the date of leave requested by myself be brought forward by the employer?

tizerbelle

If you reject the suggested dates, then you are left with no parental leave authorised - that's not to say you can't negotiate and see if there are other dates that would work for both you and your employer.  

But if you are requesting parental leave after the birth or adoption of a child, they can't delay the dates.  Nor can they delay it to a period after the child's 18th birthday. 

TheSpiddalKid

Can you confirm what type of leave you have requested, shared parental leave, paternity leave or unpaid ordinary parental leave? Different rules and entitlements apply depending on which type of leave you are requesting to take. 

savings37

Ordinary unpaid leave

TheSpiddalKid

If you have made a request for ordinary unpaid parental leave, as the parent of a child under the age of 18 then your employer is permitted to deny your original request but must agree to a deferred commencement date which must be within 6 months from the date you originally requested to start your leave. The only exception to this is if you have asked for your leave to commence immediately after paternity leave or shared parental leave to coincide with the birth or adoption of your child, then your employer may not decline the request.