Employers and employees asked to help develop West Yorkshire’s ‘Fair Work Charter’

12 March 2022

Fair Work Charter Consultation Launch

Today (11th March 2022) marks the launch of a major public consultation that will inform and develop a Fair Work Charter for West Yorkshire.

Mayor of West Yorkshire, Tracy Brabin, is asking employers, employees, and other organisations across West Yorkshire to #TellTracy about their views on work, and what fair work could mean for them.

The Charter aims to promote, encourage and support employers to meet aspects of fair work that will recognise and deliver good pay, fair and flexible working conditions, and promote greater wellbeing, diversity, and social mobility within the region’s workplaces.

Too many people are working in poor quality jobs

• 29% of West Yorkshire employees, or 271,000 people, are in jobs that don’t meet the ONS definition of Good Work.

There are big pay gaps between different groups of workers

• For example, there is a gender pay gap of 12% in average earnings in the region, and two thirds of companies in West Yorkshire have no female representation at director level.

Not enough of our working age people are in employment

• West Yorkshire’s employment rate is 74%, compared with 77% nationally.
• And for some groups the picture is much worse - the overall employment rate gap for ethnic minorities in West Yorkshire is 18 percentage points and that for people with disabilities is 23 points.

The consultation will seek views and feedback from as many perspectives as possible, including stakeholders, employers, employees, and wider communities. This will ensure the Charter is relevant and meaningful to the widest range of employers across our region, from micro businesses with just a few employees, to large corporate organisations, employing hundreds, or thousands of workers.

Prior to the consultation launch, Mayor Brabin brought together an expert steering group to help drive and deliver the Charter. The group brings together and represents a range of interests including employees, employers of all sizes and special interest groups relating to public health, faith and ethics, Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion, and best employment practices.

They will support the consultation by helping to generate feedback from these key audiences and will use the responses received to develop and propose a final version of the Charter over the months ahead.

The consultation will be primarily conducted via the Combined Authority’s Your Voice consultation and engagement website.