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21.
September
2017.
Council signs ethical employment code of practice

Council signs ethical employment code of practice

 

Cardiff Council has formally signed up to the Welsh Government's Code of Practice for Ethical Employment in Supply Chains.

The Council became thefirst public organisation to agree to sign up to the code in March 2017.

 

The code's 12 commitments are designed to ensure that workers involved in supplying the public sector are employed ethically and in compliance with both the letter and spirit of UK, EU, and international laws. 

 

The code covers a range of employment issues such as modern slavery and human rights abuses, ensuring that trade union members are not blacklisted, that false self-employment is addressed along with the unfair use of umbrella schemes and zero hours contracts and paying the ‘real' Living Wage is encouraged.

 

The Council spends £390m annually on bought in goods, services and works, and was already taking positive action to implement many of the code's 12 commitments.

 

In 2012, Cardiff became the first Council in Wales to pay its entire workforce the ‘real' Living Wage and in 2015 became an accredited Living Wage employer.

 

The Council is also encouraging Cardiff-based organisations to pay their staff the Living Wage and become accredited Living Wage employers. A total of 19 organisations in the city have become accredited Living Wage employers in 2017 taking the total in Cardiff to 37.

 

The Council has already embedded the Code of Practice into its Procurement Strategy 2017-2020 and the Socially Responsible Procurement Policy that it is presently developing. The Council will continue to work with partners, suppliers and contractors to implement all of the Code's 12 commitments.

 

The code was formally signed by Cabinet Member for Finance, Modernisation and Performance, Cllr Chris Weaver and Welsh Government‘s Leader of the House, Jane Hutt AM.

 

Council Leader, Cllr Huw Thomas, said: "The Council recognises its wider social responsibilities as a major employer and significant purchasers of goods, services and works.  I am therefore pleased that Cardiff Council is leading the way in Wales in promoting ethical employment practices.  The Council will now be looking to work with partners to promote fair work practices and develop cross-public service approaches to ethical employment, social responsibility and community benefits."

 

Cllr Chris Weaver, the Council's Anti-Slavery and Ethical Employment Champion said:

"I am very pleased that Cardiff Council agreed to be the first public sector organisation in Wales to agree to sign up to the Code of Practice. This signifies the Council's ongoing commitment to being at the forefront of supporting ‘fair work' practices and the wellbeing of those delivering services to the public."

 

Welsh Government Finance Secretary Mark Drakeford said: "We are absolutely committed to ensuring that good employment practices are at the centre of all public sector projects here in Wales. Our code of practice will play an important role in helping achieve this. I am pleased that Cardiff Council have formally signed up to the code and urge other public sector bodies to follow suit and help us deliver a fairer deal for workers in our supply chains across the world."