MANY parents who ask for flexible work when their children are young have to accept a cut in salary or a drop in job status instead, a survey published today reveals.

The right to request flexible work was introduced a year ago but 27% of parents say they have ended up with worse conditions, according to the Maternity Alliance poll.

While 68% of parents had their request accepted or had managed to reach a compromise, requests from 25% were turned down.

This was even though parents were often just asking for minor changes such as arriving or leaving work 15 minutes later, the survey found. In addition 25% of parents did not know they had a right to ask.

Under the new rules, parents with a child under six, who have at least 26 weeks' service with their current employer, can ask for a change in working hours, day or place of work.

Employers must follow a set procedure when considering a request and can only refuse for specific business reasons.

Another 45% of parents said their boss did not follow correct procedure and 92% of parents whose request was refused claimed it was done for unjustified reasons. In contrast, 25% were happily continuing work because their requests had been agreed.

Liz Kendall, Maternity Alliance director, said the Government's 2006 review of the system must address problems.

"Many parents feel forced to accept a cut in salary or job status in order to secure at least some flexibility in their work," she said. "Others continue to struggle to juggle long hours and heavy workloads or decide to give up work completely."