paternity rights

[spaced]

What rights do fathers have with regards to days off at work. I know you are entitled to 2 weeks Paternity leave, but are there any other things your entitled to, for example if your child is sick and the wife needs help, are you entitled to 2 days leave?

The reason I ask is that a friend was suffereing bad with her newborn and asked her mum for support, though her mum was not the dependant (the husband was) and that the company were peeved with the request, they still gave her 2 days compassionate leave.

[helpmetoo]

take permanent leave if you like,

we will all pick up the tab

[Goodsoulette]

"You are allowed 'reasonable' time off. There's no set amount of time allowed to deal with an unexpected event involving a dependant - it will vary depending on what the event is. You're allowed to take a reasonable amount of time to deal with it and to make any arrangements that are needed."

If the wife is at home dealing with the problem then that wouldn't beseen as reasonable unless the wife was ill as well. If it's going to be a long term thing too, you only get reasonable time to make other arrangements. As a prent you are entitled to parental leave though.

[Goodsoulette]

He also can;t be sacked, or dicrimated against for having time off to look after children or other dependents. If he starts to get treated unfairly then he can take it to an employment tribunal. 2 days hardly seems like a big deal though.

[Psychick]

Hi space,

Your are entitled to time off for ante natal appointments and then the two weeks when baby is born but I think that is it. Once you have had your two weeks any more time off will probably be unpaid and companies arent obliged to take things into consideration such as the mother needing help with a sick baby. If baby was taken into hospital, they would probably be more compassionate but it still likely to be unpaid. I have read that as the babys grandmother was the one who took time off work to help? If I have read right then I can understand the company not being happy about it as it shouldnt fall to them to allow her time off and she was lucky to be given anytime at all. Had it been for the father, they may have been more understandable.

[Goodsoulette]

Oh, I misread that entirely. She was probably lucky to get it , her daughter and her grandchild are not her dependants. IF she lives in the same house though this is a different story. Although saying that by law it could also include someone who the "emploee" reasonably relies on for assistance or is responsible for assitanting them.

[spaced]

thanks to all of you for your comments, much appreciated. helpmetoo, i like your option best!