Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham has said engagement from businesses with the region’s Good Employment Charter has been “impressively high”.
The charter, which launched today, will see businesses supported to raise standards across the charter’s seven ‘good employment principles’, including providing secure work, a real living wage and excellent recruitment and progression.
Mr Burnham, who delivered a call to action at the charter’s launch event, told the M.E.N. business engagement with the charter had been “pretty amazing”.
“It’s partly because of the way it’s been built by Sir Richard Leese, with a deliberate decision taken to take time over it and to build it from the bottom up.”
“When it first came along as an idea, there was a bit of a step back from some businesses saying this sounds like a burden, or another piece of bureaucracy.
“But I think as the conversation has developed, everyone has begun to see how it’s in everyone’s interest.”
The model for the charter was co-designed by business owners, employers, trade unions and employees from across Greater Manchester, and involved two public consultations to develop and agree the proposals.
Kellogg’s, KPGM, ITV, musicMagpie and the Lowry Hotel are among the businesses who have signed up to the charter.
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When asked how he would respond to criticisms of the charter being seen as “gesture politics”, Mr Burnham said “it’s easy for this possibly to be seen as just more words on a page or a box to be ticked”.
However, “We are going to look at linking the Greater Manchester Good Employment Charter to public procurement and I think that’s where it begins to show it’s teeth”, he said.
“If you think about the power of public procurement here, from Greater Manchester police, transport for Greater Manchester, the 10 councils, the NHS, there’s a lot of buying power within these organisations.
“And if they’re all saying they’re going to give weighting to the fact that you’ve got good employment status when we’re giving out public contracts, I think that will make sure that it’s more than words on a page and it becomes real.”
Delegates at the launch event also heard from Deputy Mayor of Greater Manchester Sir Richard Leese, North West Trades Union Congress regional secretary Lynn Collins and Greater Manchester Chamber of Commerce CEO Clive Memmott.
Mr Leese said: “Good employment is certainly good for employees, their health, their well-being, but it’s also good for employers.”
“Employers who invest in their workforce care about their workforce, tend to get a more productive workforce.
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“I think this charter has the ability to make a real, material difference and greater quality of life for employees across Greater Manchester, but also to make businesses in Manchester far more productive.”
Ms Collins added: “This employment charter gives us an opportunity to embed in our city region good practice for standards that work for businesses, but for the people who power our businesses.
“Ensuring that our employment charter creates good work for all, regardless of their gender, their race, their disability, the stage of working life they’re at or any other characteristics will be central to the accreditation process and absolutely a part of what they’re doing.”
Mr Burnham said he’d like to see the charter replicated across the country.
“If Liverpool, London, and Leeds followed the same basic template that we’re setting down, I think the power of this whole thing will multiple really.
“There has been talk of this becoming a northern employment charter and you don’t need devolution of power from Westminster to have a good employment charter.
“Everywhere could start to adopt something similar and I think when that happens, the power of this will really ramp up.”