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The Twf Charter and inclusive bilingual workplaces 

• The Welsh language is part of the equity and inclusion agenda and the TUC Cymru Twf Charter – The Welsh Language at Work Charter – supports workers, their trade unions branches and employers work together to create inclusive bilingual workplaces and growth in the use of Welsh at work
• Trade unions recognise and support the call in the TUC Cymru Congress to develop their own progressive Bilingual Policies to demonstrate their commitment to linguistic equality in Wales

Fair work includes fair use of Welsh at work.  TUC Cymru Congress recently (21 May) celebrated and welcomed the first signings of the Twf Charter in Cyngor Gwynedd and Carmarthenshire County Council, with the Welsh Government and many other organisations planning for its adoption in workplaces across Wales. 

Workplaces are strategic locations for using, promoting and facilitating increasing opportunities for workers to use and learn Welsh at work. Growing the use of Welsh in workplaces across all sectors is a key priority of Welsh Government’s ‘Cymraeg 2050’ strategy. For workers, including Welsh speaking workers, inclusive bilingual workplaces provide more opportunities to use, learn and develop their Welsh language skills at work and enables them to work in Welsh on a day-to-day basis. 

Gwawr Williams, Unison Branch Secretary for Gwynedd, Môn and Prifysgol Bangor recently said: 

“I am proud that we are the first branch to work with one of our employers, Cyngor Gwynedd, to be the first Local Authority to sign the TUC Cymru Twf Charter, which we welcome with open arms.

“And we want to inspire others to do the same. We in the Welsh union movement have embraced it and we have a lot of work to do together in Wales to embed fairness, equity and equality using and growing the use of Welsh at work. In Unsain Gwynedd, we have created the role of Welsh Language Representative because many other branches can benefit from this role to support their own members in trade unions across Wales. We have done it to inspire them.

“The Welsh language is part of our Welsh identity, culture and history in Wales and we treasure and cherish it.  Siarter Twf is an enabling framework that promotes, supports and facilitate ongoing growth in the use of Welsh in our workplaces across Wales. This is a matter of dignity and responsibility for all of us.” 

Editors note

Contacts:
Matt Hexter  
mhexter@tuc.org.uk
07528170583