Report of the Managing Director

That this Council will sign a local apprenticeship agreement with Unison that promises to:

(i)       Conduct a skills audit, to properly determine this Council’s needs.

(ii)      Negotiate with relevant trade unions, to develop a high quality apprenticeship scheme, which ensures apprentices’ rights are respected.

(iii)     Select and monitor a high-quality training provider.

(iv)    Recognise apprenticeships as investing in future labour, rather than ‘cheap labour’.

(v)     Keep existing employees informed about the introduction of the apprenticeship scheme.

(vi)    Provide support and training for the supervisors of apprentices.

(vii)   Meet regularly with apprentices and their representatives.

(viii)  Actively challenge job stereotyping.

(ix)    Encourage and celebrate apprentices.

That, as this Council believes that every job should be a great job, for this Council that means workers in Darlington should be paid fairly; work in a safe and healthy workplace; be treated decently and with respect; have regular hours; have the chance to be represented by unions and be consulted on what matters at work; and get the chance to learn and progress at work and get on in life, this Council resolves to:

(i)       Support the TUC’s Great Jobs Agenda, which sets out the actions employers and the government must take for every job to be a great job.

(ii)     Ensure as an employer we continue providing great jobs for our own employees.

(iii)    Continue to value meaningful workforce engagement and representation through our recognised trade unions.

(iv)    Continue our work with employers to secure business growth that is sustainable and ethical.

(v)     Make increasing job quality a key part of the conversation when pursuing local economic development opportunities.

(vi)    Use our commissioning and procurement processes where possible to raise employment standards amongst those suppliers and providers we work with.

(vii)   Where appropriate, engage with government and other bodies who hold regulatory powers, to tackle issues which local authorities do not have statutory powers to address directly.