A survey showing that 56 per cent of Irish employees believe taking unpaid parental leave would hinder their promotion prospects was described by the Green Party as a "terrible indictment" of the working culture in Ireland.
The recent survey, carried out by recruitireland.com, also showed that 51 per cent of employees with children said they would leave their current employer and take a ten per cent cut in salary if another employer offered childcare facilities.
Green Party TD Mr Eamon Ryan said today it was disgraceful that some employers do not recognise the extraordinary pressure that parents with young children are under.
He said the real losers were children, many of whom do not see enough of their parents and called on the Government to extend maternity leave and to provide a short period of paid paternity leave for both parents.
"The Government has allowed a culture to develop which sees business competition as being all important," he added.
The survey also showed that around 40 per cent of employees admitted to lying to their employers by phoning in sick when they were not sick at all.
The employee satisfaction survey was carried out over one week and 475 respondents completed it in confidence, according to the website.
