BOSSES will be able to ignore requests for flexible working from workers despite new legislation, unions and campaign groups warned today.

The TUC and 20 rights groups, women’s and disabled people’s organisations welcomed news that the Employment Relations (Flexible Working) Bill was given Royal Assent on Thursday and became law, but they said the legislation must go further.

In a joint statement they pointed to flaws in the legislation which would deny workers’ rights.

“A right to request is not a legal right to work flexibly from day one in the job and means many flexible working requests can and will be rejected by employers,” they said.

The government promised to give workers the right to flexible working from day one of their employment in its 2019 election manifesto.

The statement said: “Mums, dads, disabled people (including those with Long Covid), carers and older workers are just some of the groups that we know are more likely to need flexibility to get into work, stay and progress.

“And flexible working is important for everyone to achieve better work life balance and make time for life outside work.’

TUC general secretary Paul Nowak said: “Flexible working should be a day one right that’s available to everyone.

“But under these new plans, it does not go far enough.

“The government must deliver on their manifesto commitments and change the law so workers have the legal right to work flexibly from the first day in the job.

“Not all jobs can support every kind of flexible working — but all jobs can support some kind of flexible working. 

“And all job adverts should make clear what kind of flexibility is available.”

The TUC wants the government to “make flexible working a genuine legal right from the first day in a job.”

It said: “People should have the right to work flexibly from day one, unless the employer can properly justify why this is not possible. 

“Workers should have the right to appeal any rejections. And there shouldn’t be a limit on how many times workers can ask for flexible working arrangements in a year.”

Other signatories include the Fawcett Society, Disabled Rights UK, Pregnant Then Screwed, Disabled People Against Cuts (DPAC), Age UK and Scope.