Address by Minister Tony Killeen at the launch of Work Life Balance Day on March 1^st 2005 in St Patricks Hall, Dublin Castle.

Good morning everybody. Let me begin by thanking the National Framework Committee for Work Life Balance Policies and the Work Life Balance Network for their kind invitation to launch this the fifth in a series of Work Life Balance Days. Some of you may recall them as Family Friendly Workplace days prior to their change of name last year. A change which I believe was important and reflects the fact that work life balance is an issue which affects all of us at different stages in our lives, not just people with young children.

I am particularly delighted to be here this morning given the responsibility my Department has for the National Framework Committee for Work Life Balance Policies and for the Equal Community Initiative which funded the Work Life Balance Network project. It is great to see the Committee and the Network coming together to organise this event. There is a lot of information/resources available in relation to work life balance. It is important that we share knowledge and experience and build on what other groups/organisations are doing in this area. The whole focus of the Equal Initiative is to identify and address fundamental forms of discrimination and inequality in the labour market through the development of new and innovative policies and practices.

As I said earlier, work life balance is not just an issue for people with young children, but is an issue that affects us all. More and more, work-life balance options are becoming an important topic for a broad range of people in employment and for those seeking employment across the European Union.

The Lisbon Agenda agreed at the Lisbon European Council, set ambitious targets to make the European Union the most competitive and dynamic knowledge based economy in the world, with more and better jobs for all. The employment related targets, which were set out in the Lisbon Agenda are:-

• An overall employment rate of 67% by 2005 and 70% by 2010
• A female employment rate of 57% by 2005 and 60% by 2010
• An employment rate for older workers (aged 55-64) of 50% by 2010.

The achievement of these targets, I believe, will be influenced by the work/life balance policies we adopt. Progress in achieving the targets will only be made when we create the correct environment to increase participation of groups currently under represented in the labour market.

We cannot underestimate the challenge facing us in achieving these targets particularly given the demographic change facing the European Union with the ageing of the population and the consequent reduction in the working population. It is essential that we continue to strive to meet these objectives, as one of the key ways of taking people out of the poverty trap is to provide opportunities for them to enter paid employment.

Increasingly in Ireland, for a wide range of people the ability to enter into or remain in paid employment is dependent on the availability of opportunities to balance work and life outside of work. In fact as recent as last Thursday, I addressed the IRN annual conference and I was surprised to hear that of 500 applicants surveyed by Irishjobs.ie, just over 50% of those were seeking jobs with more flexible working conditions and that money is no longer the number 1 motivator when considering what job to choose.

We in government are committed to a two pronged approach to achieving the goal of making workplaces more family friendly by (1) the provision of statutory entitlements through legislative measures, many of which have their origins in the EU, and (2) the voluntary approach at the level of the enterprise, which is encouraged at national level by the National Framework Committee for Work Life Balance Policies.

Legislative measures, which provide for statutory entitlements include maternity leave, adoptive leave, carer's leave and parental leave.

In relation to the voluntary approach at the level of the enterprise, our experience is that the agenda cannot be progressed without the inclusion of the social partners and change will not be effected without them. Under the Programme for Prosperity and Fairness the National Framework Committee for Family Friendly Policies was established. The remit of the Committee was continued and extended to cover the broader issue of work life balance under the current national agreement - Sustaining Progress.

As set out in your conference pack, you will see that the committee comprises representatives from IBEC, ICTU, the Equality Authority, a number of Government Departments including the Departments of the Taoiseach, Finance, Justice, Equality and Law Reform, Social Welfare and is chaired by my Department.

The Committee, under Sustaining Progress, is charged with supporting and facilitating the development of family friendly policies at the level of the enterprise through the development of a package of practical measures that can be applied. One of the tasks of the Committee is to examine how best to improve access to family friendly working arrangements in order to realise the potential benefits that these arrangements would offer from both an equality and competitiveness perspective.

The Committee has undertaken a number of initiatives to-date, including, the annual Work Life Balance Day, which is one of our reasons for being here today; Direct Financial assistance to organisations to implement or enhance work life balance working arrangements and I understand a number of those organisations are represented here this morning. The Committee also established a panel of consultants which is available to assist organisations develop work life balance working arrangements. One of the Committee's most valuable resources is it's website www.worklifebalance.ie which provides practical assistance to employers, employees and trade unions.

As part of its dissemination campaign the Committee hosted two regional seminars towards the end of last year. The next seminar will take place in Cork in May 2005.

The Work Life Balance Network project also adopts a partnership approach, as do all projects funded under the EQUAL Initiative. The aim of the project was, I understand, to explore work life balance policies and promote models of good practice. After coffee you will hear more about the outcomes of the project and the diagnostic tool which it has developed for organisations to assist them in achieving work life balance.

Before I conclude, I would just like to reiterate that the role of the Social Partners is crucial in moving this agenda forward. Indeed, the presence of their most senior executives here this morning is testimony to the importance they also place on work life balance as an issue for employers and employees alike. I would also like to acknowledge the key role played by the Equality Authority as active participants on both the National Framework Committee and the Equal Initiative.

The reconciliation of work and life outside of work is of benefit to both employers and employees alike. Employers benefit through increased employee satisfaction, retention/attraction of staff, productivity, reputation of the organisation, reduced labour turnover, decreased absenteeism/sick leave. Employees are provided with the opportunity of remaining in the workforce or continuing their attachment to the workforce during periods when they have family responsibilities or wish to pursue other interests.

I wish you every success with the rest of the morning.