Working Regulations & Conditions the Working Tine

Working Regulations & Conditions The Working Tine Regulations of 1998 established a variety of legal provisions impacting the working hours and rest periods of employees. Regulation 12 establishes the right to an uninterrupted break of 20 minutes for a daily work period in excess of six hours. Regulation 10 establishes an entitlement to a daily rest period of 11 consecutive hours for each 24 hours during which the employee works, although there are a host of exceptions to this provision.

Regulation 11 establishes the right of adult workers to one day off a week, averaged over a two-week period (National Archives 2012). There are a variety of provisions, and rights, available to mothers, fathers, and adult caretakers that impact the terms and conditions of an employee's employment. Using women as an example, it is clear that there are many provisions intended to protect, and enhance, the employment conditions and opportunities of working mothers, or mothers-to-be.

These fall under the heading of "Parental Rights at Work." Most of the provisions are applicable to women, including the following: - The Rights of Working Parents: an umbrella provision that establishes the right to paid and unpaid maternity leave; paid paternity leave; paid and unpaid adoption leave; the right to request flexible working hours; unpaid parental leave if your child is under the age of five (18 if the child is disabled); and unpaid time off to deal with unexpected problems relating to the care of dependents (Citizens Advice Bureau 2012).

- Maternity Leave: the majority of female employees are entitled to up to 52 weeks of maternity leave, irrespective of the length of time with the current employer (Citizens Advice Bureau 2012). - The Right to Work in a Safe Environment: it is the legal obligation of employers to provide a safe work environment for all employees, particularly women of childbearing age.

This right requires that the workplace be assessed for risks specific to pregnant or breastfeeding women, or those who have given birth within the past six months and, should risks be identified, that provisions be made to protect the health and safety of these employees. If such provisions are impossible, the employee must be offered another position at the same pay rate, or be suspended on medical grounds with full pay (Citizens Advice Bureau 2012).

- Adoption Leave: a woman who has been matched with a child for adoption or who has had a child placed with them are entitled to adoption leave, provided that she has worked for her current employer for a minimum of 26 weeks at the time of notification of an adoption match (Citizens Advice Bureau 2012). 3. Pay fairness, or equity, is important for a variety of reasons, and not only to the individuals, and their families, most directly impacted. One of these reasons is related to productivity.

Those who are discriminated against with respect to pay suffer from low morale, low self-esteem, a lack of motivation, and heightened levels of stress (Education International, n.d., p4). A more highly motivated workforce is a more productive, and effective, workforce. Another reason that pay equity is important is that it is an identified human right. Article 23.2 of the United Nations Declaration of Human Rights states that "Everyone, without any discrimination, has the right to equal pay for equal work" (Education International, n.d., p4).

Thus declared a basic human right, the right to equal pay must not be abridged. 4. There are many means of discrimination in the employment arena; there are also many measures enshrined in UK law intended to protect against discrimination in the workplace.

To protect against discrimination on the grounds of sexual orientation, employees, whether gay, lesbian, or heterosexual, are protected against discrimination with respect to recruitment, terms and conditions of employment, employment status, training, promotion or transfer opportunities, redundancy, and dismissal, and civil partnerships are to be treated as equal to marriage with respect to benefits (Directgov 2012). There is a prohibition against discrimination on the basis of age.

Age discrimination protections prohibit the denial of a job or equal chances for training and promotion, and offer protection against victimization or harassment on the basis of one's age. It is prohibited to discriminate on the basis of age with respect to recruitment, employment terms and conditions, promotions and transfers, training, and dismissals. While age discrimination statutes are intended to prevent age discrimination, there are some provisions.