Fair Work First statement

Fair Work First is the Scottish Government's flagship policy for driving high quality and fair work across the labour market in Scotland. The City of Edinburgh Council is committed to advancing the Fair Work criteria, and to providing a positive employee experience within our organisation. We have worked closely with our joint trade unions to agree that the City of Edinburgh Council meets the requirements of principles of Fair Work First with respect to directly employed staff.

Recognised trade unions:

  • UNISON
  • Unite
  • GMB
  • Educational Institute of Scotland (EIS)
  • Scottish Secondary Teachers’ Association (SSTA)
  • NASUWT

We have appropriate channels for effective workers’ voice

  • We provide access to trade unions and make workers aware they can join a union of their choice. This is mainly done through our recruitment and onboarding processes, union involvement in “Welcome” events, as well as through our intranet.
  • We provide our Trade Union Representatives with paid time off within working hours to carry out their duties and recognise the hard work and dedication our union representatives provide in balancing this important position and their role within the Council.
  • We engage with trade unions in negotiation and consultation for Local Government Employees, Teachers and Associated Professionals, Craft Workers, and Chief Officials
  • We engage with recognised trade unions through a range of structures.  These include
    • our local consultation fora at service and divisional levels (quarterly Joint Consultative Committee and Departmental Joint Consultative Committees respectively)
    • At corporate level through our fortnightly TU Engagement meetings as well as our monthly Partnership at Work forum
    • at a council wide level through our Joint Consultative Group, which is a Council Committee attended by councillors, senior officers and trade unions.
  • We engage on Health & Safety matters through divisional, service and workplace Health and Safety Groups (e.g. Building User groups and school H&S groups).  Issues unresolved are escalated to our Council Health & Safety Forum.
  • We inform, engage, and consult our Trade Unions in the development of policies or any organisational reviews which impact our workforce.
  • We engage in constructive dialogues for collective bargaining as well as to address workplace issues and disputes.
  • We carry out regular surveys, focus groups and pulse checks to understand the views and needs of our workforce. This includes topics such as equalities and inclusion, culture and behaviours, communication and engagement as well as learning.
  • We have a formal performance framework which includes conducting regular one to one conversations, annual ‘looking ahead, and looking back’ conversations.
  • We expect there to be regular open and two-way dialogue between line managers and their teams.
  • We have an established variety of employee colleague networks to enable cross-council collaboration and problem solving. Our colleague networks provide a safe space for colleagues to discuss issues they face at work and then to raise awareness about the experiences and challenges faced by colleagues with protected characteristics. Monthly meetings with HR and regular attendance at CLT enable the colleague networks to provide lived experience insight.

Pay

  • National pay awards are negotiated between COSLA and Trades Unions for Local Government Employees, Teachers and Associated Professionals, Craft Workers, and Chief Officials. 
  • We have consolidated the real Living Wage into our pay scales and are committed to paying our employees at least real Living Wage, or the Scottish Local Government Living Wage where appropriate.

We invest in workforce development

  • Our Behavioural Framework, Employee Code of Conduct and performance framework helps set out how all employees are expected to behave at work creating a better working environment for all.
  • Our People Strategy outlines our vision for how we deliver the Council’s Business Plan through our people – attracting a talented and committed workforce who are passionate about what we do for our city, investing in their development and careers, aspiring to excellence in leadership and building a culture where everyone can thrive.
  • We deliver the Edinburgh Guarantee to provide employability training and opportunities within our organisation, and provide funding and support to local employability partners to support people into, and progress within, employment.
  • Our Health & Wellbeing Plan and employee assistance programme promotes the physical, mental and emotional and financial wellbeing of our workforce.
  • We always consider making reasonable adjustments for colleagues who may need these to continue working or who are entering our organisation. We provide a ‘Health Adjustment Passport’ which is a live document to help colleagues outline the barriers they may be experiencing at work due to a disability or long-term health condition. The passport acts as a framework to allow colleagues to have an open discussion with their manager and decide on what support might be required.
  • Formal and informal learning is offered and encouraged across the workforce, relating to specific roles as well as wider learning and development opportunities at all levels in the Council. We also offer a range of resources on our learning platform that colleagues can access in work or their own time, including mental health support.
  • We are committed to providing apprenticeships and trainee opportunities.

Zero hours contracts

  • The Council does not recruit employees onto zero hours contracts
  • Individuals can join a list to be available for ‘supply’ or ‘casual’ work in specific services but there is no obligation to offer or accept work
  • We regularly review this work to ensure it is not used for long term appointments
  • Where possible, we will use a temporary contract of employment rather than a supply or casual agreement.

We take action to tackle the gender pay gap and create a more diverse and inclusive workplace

  • Our Equality and diversity framework 2021 to 2025 aims to make a tangible difference to the lives of citizens and employees who share protected characteristics, bringing practical improvements to the life chances of people at risk of discrimination and disadvantage.
  • Underpinned by Our Behaviours, our Workforce Diversity, Equality & Inclusion Strategy contributes towards a working environment where every one of our colleagues has an equal voice, where we work together to prevent discrimination of any kind that is based on who you are or appear to be and in turn creates an inclusive working environment. This is delivered through our annual action plans, supporting policies and learning on inclusive culture, protected characteristics, active bystander and much more.
  • We are committed to creating a workplace culture which reflects the diversity of our city where all people feel valued, respected, and heard. We recognise the benefits that a diverse workforce with different values, beliefs, experience, and backgrounds brings to us as an organisation.
  • As a council we believe in the principle of equality and opportunity. We recognise our responsibilities as a service provider and employer to encourage the fair treatment of all individuals and to tackle inequalities.
  • We report progress on our Pay Gap every year. 
  • We have many types of paid and unpaid leave to support a colleague’s work-life balance including enhanced maternity and adoption pay and leave; time off for medical gender reassignment; paid leave for victims of domestic abuse and other forms of gender-based violence; Foster/Kinship leave; and Career Breaks.
  • We are a Disability Confident employer, encouraging the employment and retention of disabled people and those with health conditions through reasonable adjustments.  We have a guaranteed interview scheme for candidates that consider themselves to have a disability as well as those who are care experienced. 

We offer flexible working practices for all workers

  • We support flexible working across the Council from the first day of employment.
  • We have a Flexible Working Policy which encourages managers to take a flexible first “can do” approach to flexible working requests.
  • We have working flexibly guidance which sets out the range of potential options available to colleagues who may need flexibility in how they work (for whatever reason).
  • We support a range of working practices including part time and term time working, compressed hours, remote working, flexible start and finish times, and flexible hours.
  • All colleagues are entitled to the Right to Disconnect and should not be expected to work outside their normal working hours which includes reading and responding to emails.
  • We offer special leave to all colleagues which includes, leave for dependants, carers leave, unpaid parental leave, planned healthcare for children under 5, compassionate leave, medical appointments (including gender reassignment, fertility and elective surgery).
  • We offer maternity leave, paternity leave, and shared parental leave.

We don’t use Fire and Rehire practices

  • We only consider effecting change where there is a legitimate business need, and we strive to achieve change through agreement.
  • We are committed to working with our Trade Unions partners to ensure there is effective consultation and, where appropriate, negotiation relating to change.
  • Trade unions are notified on a monthly basis on the status of every organisational review under our Managing Change policy that may impact colleagues.

Fair Work First in Procurement & Commissioning

We are committed to embedding Fair Work First principles across all procurement and commissioning activities. As set out in our Sustainable Procurement Strategy, promoting fair work is a key strategic objective that supports our wider aims to reduce poverty, tackle inequality and deliver socially responsible outcomes for the city.

In line with Scottish Government guidance and relevant legislation, Fair Work First is considered at every stage of the procurement cycle – from the development of individual procurement strategies to the inclusion of fair work criteria in tender documents and the evaluation process.

These principles are actively promoted to suppliers and third party providers through our contracts and funding agreements, wherever relevant. Through this approach we aim to use our spending power to drive fairer employment practices and create more inclusive economic opportunities across the city.