Council and Trade Unions renew Charter Agreement on Health and Safety
Health and safety was at the forefront of Highland Council today as Members of the Corporate Resources Committee witnessed the signing of the Council and Trade Unions’ “Safety Representatives Charter and Partnership Agreement”.
Renewed every 3 years, this is the fifth time the charter agreement has been co-signed by Highland Council’s Chief Executive and Union representatives since it was first introduced in 2006.
The Safety Representatives Charter and Partnership Agreement documents set out how both parties will work in partnership to meet legislative requirements and help ensure the health and safety of staff, and others across the Council area.
Chair of the Corporate Resources Committee Cllr Alister Mackinnon said: “I am pleased that this partnership approach to health and safety continues to flourish reflecting its continued importance.
“The Council’s Programme recognises the importance of ensuring that Highland is a welcoming place to work and this partnership between the Council and Unions reflects the priorities to our workforce across the region.
“When first introduced, this charter agreement was an innovative approach to partnership working and the TUC refer to it as the “Highland Model” and work with other organisations to produce a similar framework.
“The Health and Safety Executive place great importance on worker involvement and consultation. Their research has shown that this is a key factor in to ensuring that UK workplaces remain among the most safe and healthy in the world.
“Everyone has the right to work in a work environment that does not compromise their personal safety and welfare or their mental or physical health. We spend a lot of our lives at work. When we are healthy, happy and safe there, our lives are better overall.”
Signing the 2018 Safety Representatives Charter and Partnership Agreement at Highland Council’s headquarters in Inverness were Steve Barron, Highland Council’s Chief Executive, and representatives of Unite (Richard Whyte), GMB (Paul Macpherson) and Unison (Michael Hayes).