New West charter aims to raise working standards

A charter aimed at raising working standards in the West has been launched with a Bath firm pledging to get involved.

The Good Employment Charter is a West of England Combined Authority (Weca) initiative to boost worker engagement and improve recruitment within firms.

Metro Mayor Dan Norris launched the charter, which has been designed by the region’s trade unions, employers and employees.

Academy Award-winning animation studio Aardman (Wallace and Gromit inset) has already signed up, while tourism organisation Visit West, “amazement park” Wake the Tiger, Bath-based tech consultancy Storm, and Stoke Gifford’s Service Robotics have also pledged to get involved. There are two tiers of the charter:

1 Supporters - working with aspiring organisations to help them take steps to improve practices, including through a personalised action plan, workshops and other events, raising employment standards across the whole region, to meet the requirements of accreditation.

■ 2 Membership - requiring employers to demonstrate excellent practice in key characteristics of employment practice. These are: secure work; flexible work; a real living wage; workplace engagement and voice; excellent recruitment practices and progression; excellent people management; a productive and healthy workplace.

Businesses receiving funding through Weca’s investment funds will be required to become charter supporters.

According to the authority, more than 15 per cent of West Country workers take home less pay than the real living wage, while an estimated 111,000 in the wider South West are on zero-hours contracts. The real living wage is a voluntary rate paid by employers who choose to go above and beyond the government minimum to ensure staff are always paid a wage that covers the cost of living. “No matter what job you do, everyone deserves dignity at work, fair pay and secure work in a safe workplace with clear opportunities to progress and develop,” said Mr Norris. “I want to praise the brilliant employers we have in our region such as Aardman. “Recognising those good employers and seeking to persuade everyone else to do the right thing is what this is all about.

“We know that employers who are best at properly supporting their employees are usually the most successful.”

Aardman, which became entirely employee owned in 2018, is working towards full member accreditation in the next 12 months.

Sean Clarke, managing director of Aardman, said: “We’re really pleased to support the Good Employment Charter and feel that improving employment standards is crucial for staff wellbeing, retention, engagement and productivity.

“Many policies such as the real living wage and secure work have been in place for some time, which has already made a positive impact to the business... Aardman is committed to providing a workplace where people and their ideas can really thrive.”