The statutory provisions on flexible working changed on 30 June 2014, and as a result all employees can submit flexible working requests to their employers. 

Under the original provisions an employee had to be the parent of a child aged under 17 (under 18 where the child is disabled), or be the carer of a specified adult aged 18 or over, and be making the application in order to enable them to care for the child or adult, to qualify and make a statutory flexible working request.

There is a clause in the employment contract that says I can; but someone said it would be a penalty clause and was not enforceable?

The Employment Appeals Tribunal, ‘EAT’, recently decided (with a little hesitation) in Li v First Marine Solutions, that such a clauses in this situation was not a penalty clauses and could be relied upon.

Lawyer and second hand car salesman Liaqat Ali, from the Hyde Park area of Leeds, received over £3,000 in fines and legal costs after trading standards investigators found evidence of dodgy dealings at his garage. Investigators found Liaqat Ali, trading as ‘ABC Bargain Cars’ and ‘AB Bargain Cars’, had sold, or advertised vehicles with false odometer readings and misleading descriptions.

A garage owner was fined the maximum amount by Teesside magistrates, the Court was told that pedestrians and other vehicles could not get past the Newport garage. Paul Jeffries owner of Get Smart Autos was ordered to pay more than £15,000 in fines and costs by Teesside magistrates.