West Lothian Council - Fair Work First

 1. We have an appropriate channel for effective employee voice

• We recognise Trade Unions across all employee groups for the purpose of collective bargaining and they are involved in key governance structures
• We provide facility time to Trade Unions and engage in regular dialogue with employees and their representatives to address workplace issues and disputes
• Employees are offered support through contact with their supervisor, the employee assistance programme and our Four Pillars of Wellbeing
• We promote a zero tolerance approach to bullying and harassment
• We survey staff to inform corporate and local priorities and development

 2. We invest in workforce development

• Our People Strategy links to the Corporate Strategy and Plan and a key outcome is the development of workforce skills and capacity
• We provide informal and formal learning opportunities for employees at all levels in the Council and all employees have access to our e-learning platform
• We undertake workforce and succession planning
• We have apprenticeship programmes and support staff with vocational qualifications
• Annual Development Reviews are used to explore individual development plans

 3. We do not have contracts that fall into the definition of zero hours or minimum hours contracts

• Workers can join a list to be available for casual work but there is no obligation to offer or accept work
• We regularly review casual work to ensure it is not used for long term appointments

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

• We have a Policy Statement on Equal Pay and a Policy on Equality - Employment and Service Provision setting out our commitment to eliminate discrimination, advance equality of opportunity and promote good relations between different groups
• We have an Employee Gender Based Violence Policy aligned with the Scottish Government's Equally Safe strategy for preventing and eradicating violence against women and girls
• We publish our Equality and Diversity Framework and Equality and Mainstreaming Outcomes on our website
• We gather data to understand our workforce diversity and pay gap information, and our outcomes seek to address perceived barriers to employment with the council
• We have internal policies to tackle barriers to work including policies on menopause, employee mental well-being and flexible working
• All employees must undertake an Equality and Diversity module annually and managers must complete a Mentally Health Workplace module with refreshers
• We make reasonable adjustments for employees with a disability or impairment that could affect their ability to carry out their role

5. We commit to paying the Real Living Wage

• We are an accredited Living Wage employer

 6. We offer flexible and family friendly working practices for our employees

• We are a Carer Positive Employer
• We have a wide range of family friendly policies and provisions including maternity, paternity, adoption and parental leave, as well as leave to support dependents and bereavement leave
• We support employees to undertake public or reservist duties
• We support a range of working practices including part time and term time working

 7. We oppose the use of fire and rehire practice

• We only consider effecting change where there is a legitimate business need and strive to achieve change through agreement
• We are committed to working with our Trade Unions partners to ensure there is effective consultation and negotiation relating to change

The Fair Work First criteria are also referenced in our procurement contracts to encourage third party providers to adopt positive fair work practices. This is weighted into the tender evaluation process and is subject to monitoring through contract management/service level agreements.