A charter which adopts the principles of fair work backed by trade unions, academics and business leaders could be embraced by Dundee City Council.
Councillors will be asked to sign up to the Fair Work Charter which commits the council to offering an effective voice for employees, opportunity, security, fulfilment and respect.
John Alexander convener of the council’s policy and resources committee said: “Signing up to the Fair Work Charter will cement the principles already established in the city through the work of the Fairness Commission and in the council via our People Strategy and People Charter.
“But we want to take it further than that and act as a pioneer and exemplar of good practice for businesses and other public sector bodies in Dundee where we can use our influence to promote and increase commitment to the Fair Work Charter across the board.”
Dave Moxham, STUC deputy general secretary said: “We have always been clear that the Fair Work Framework will only have a positive impact on working people lives’ in Scotland if it is adopted in its true spirit by employers. We have also been clear that the best way for workers’ voices to be heard, and for them to have security, fulfilment, respect, and opportunity, is through active engagement with their trade unions.
“Dundee has a long history of trade unionism and we see this commitment by the council as another chapter of that proud story. We commend Dundee City Council for taking these steps to ensure that Fair Work is a key feature of working life in their city.”
The Fair Work Convention, made up of representatives of the STUC, Unite and Unison, academics, business leaders and the chief executive of Perth and Kinross Council, developed a set of principles to make fair work a hallmark of Scotland’s workplaces.
Among those principles, which the policy and resources committee will be asked to commit the council to on Monday June 4, are an effective voice for employees which will mean having active channels of communication and structures to inform, consult and engage with employees; creating an open and transparent workplace environment and working with trade unions to develop action plans based on issues that arise from employee surveys.
Under the banner of opportunity the council will commit to providing equal opportunities for all employees to access work and to progress; focusing on merit, performance contribution and helping people to achieve their potential and taking action to develop the young workforce.
Within the third principle of security the charter commits signatories to provide security of employment, predictability of working hours and stability of income; a secure working environment and providing flexible and supportive working arrangements particularly for those with caring responsibilities and people with disabilities.
Employees will be given access to work that is as fulfilling as it can be with an approach to job design, work organisation and personal development that gives them chances to learn, use their skills, be challenged, solve problems, be creative and innovative, take responsibility and make changes.
The final element of the charter deals with respect and the council will respect all employees, commit to fair treatment for all and deal effectively with issues such as bullying and harassment.
Dundee City Council
Dundee draws skilled workers from a 60-minute catchment population of 640,000 and has a local population of over 140,000. The availability of a large pool of highly skilled labour is a key feature in the Dundee economy. Flexibility in the labour force is currently more prevalent in Dundee than in Scotland as a whole. All forms of labour market flexibility - part-time, temporary employment, self-employment and shift work - are widely operational within the city. Labour force stability in the city is excellent, enabling companies to plan with confidence. Labour turnover levels are less than 5% and absenteeism averages 2%.
