A bill created by a Bolton MP is close to allowing employees the right to ask for flexible working from their first day in employment.
The Employment Relations (Flexible Working) Bill received cross-party support when the House of Lords reviewed the legislation last week.
The bill, created by Bolton MP Yasmin Qureshi, aims to allow employees the right to ask for flexible working from their first day of employment and to do so twice every 12 months. Currently, workers are allowed to ask after six months and only once every 12 months.
It aims to bind employers to come to a decision on the request within two months and to consult if the decision is to refuse the request.
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Both the Conservative Party and the Labour Party committed to make flexible working the norm in their manifestos for the last elections four years ago, which is why the bill cleared the House of Commons despite its origin on the benches of the opposition.
On Friday, the House of Lords reviewed the legislation in one of the last stages before the legislation is allowed to become law.
Baroness Ann Taylor of Bolton, a Labour Peer who was an MP for the area until the 1980s, introduced the bill to colleagues in the Lords Chamber.
Baroness Taylor said: "This modest package of measures will help to secure more flexible working, to meet the needs of individuals and businesses, and to create a situation where there is constructive dialogue between the employee and the employer. This matters and it could make a difference.
"A recent ONS study showed, if a person had flexible working opportunities, it made a difference to whether they were able to stay in the labour market."
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Baroness Virginia Bottomley of Nettlestone, a Conservative Peer, praised what she referred to as the 'Bolton Mafia' of Ms Qureshi and Baroness Taylor.
The bill received cross-party support and, although it is in line for additional scrutiny, it is on course to become law within a matter of months.
Baroness Bottomley said: "This is a case study of collaborative, constructive work.
"I am delighted to support it and I congratulate all those involved."
This article was written by Jack Tooth. To contact him, email jack.tooth@newsquest.co.uk or follow @JTRTooth on Twitter.
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