Commission launches consultation on work-life balance

(August 2016) The European Commission has launched a second-stage consultation with the social partners on potential European level action to improve work-life balance. This could be in relation to maternity leave rights, paternity and/or parental leave as well as carers' leave. More rights to flexible working might also be part of the equation. The Commission has given the European social partners until the end of August to decided whether or not they wish to negotiate on any of these. Read more at DG Employment.

The European Commission has started a second stage consultation over what can be done to improve work-life balance and help tackle the employment and pay gap between men and women. An important element of this is achieving better childcare and encouraging more men to take up measures such as paternity and parental leave. According to the Commission the first-stage consultation produced a clear between trade unions looking for European-level initiatives and employers focussing on national and local developments. The consultation lasts for six weeks and so responses have to reach the Commission