I meant to write this up for a blog before. Earlier this year the French parliament passed a law which enables workers, with the agreement of their employer, to anonymously donate their paid leave to colleagues, with seriously ill children.
The inspiration for the bill came from the case of Christophe Germain who, with the approval of the bosses, was given days off by his colleagues (170) to look after his eleven year old son, Matthys, who was battling with cancer. Very sadly Matthys died. The scheme which was present in some private companies was then extended to the public sector. There was some resistance to the changes, as it was thought they relieved employers of their responsibilities towards staff with seriously ill children. However in May 2014 the idea became legal.
Only last month another case hit the headlines. This time concerning a very sick wife, who was about to give birth on 17th November, but who had been hospitalised since July 2014 after a brain haemorrhage. The colleagues of the husband decided to donate time so that he could remain at home to look after his wife. Her condition was such that she would need round-the-clock supervision and would have to learn how to walk again. In total 362 paid days were donated, by individuals across the company including the managers.
That's solidarity for you. Any chance of it happening in the UK?
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