National Park Authority joins regional first to strengthen Welsh at work

The Charter was signed at Pabell Pawb at Eisteddfod y Garreg Las on Wednesday 5 August by Tegryn Jones, Chief Executive of Pembrokeshire Coast National Park Authority, and Dr Madeleine Havard, Chair of the Authority, alongside Jonathan Lewis, Branch Secretary of Pembrokeshire Branch UNISON, and Dr Mandy James, Bilingual Communications Officer for TUC Cymru.

The signing made this the first area in Wales to collectively adopt Siarter Twf on a regional basis. Carmarthenshire County Council and Ceredigion County Council have already signed, with the National Park Authority and Pembrokeshire County Council completing the regional line-up at this year’s Eisteddfod. This collaborative approach ensures practical, consistent support for the Welsh language across public sector workplaces throughout the area.

Tegryn Jones, Chief Executive of Pembrokeshire Coast National Park Authority, said: “Welsh is already an important part of the Authority’s work and of the communities we serve, and we are proud to build on that by signing Siarter Twf.

“This Charter gives us a positive and practical way to work with our trade unions and staff to strengthen the use of Welsh in everyday working life. It will help us support those who already use Welsh at work, encourage those who are building their confidence, and make sure Welsh continues to be visible, valued and heard across the organisation.

“As an Authority serving a proudly bilingual area, this is about growing something that already matters to us. Siarter Twf gives us a clear, collaborative way to keep that momentum going and to support Welsh as a natural part of the culture of the Authority.”

Developed by TUC Cymru, Siarter Twf supports workers, trade union branches and employers to work together to create inclusive bilingual workplaces and increase the use of Welsh at work.

It is designed to support trade unions and employers to work collaboratively on implementing its four core principles. This includes the provision of increasing opportunities for staff to use Welsh at work, and support for those who are learning, and those who want to start using more Welsh in their working lives.

It also means that the provision of trade union representation in Welsh is a natural consequence of planning equitable use of Welsh at work.

The practical benefits were highlighted later on the day of the signing, during a panel event at the Welsh Government stand, where speakers from across the region’s local authorities, the National Park Authority and trade unions explored how Siarter Twf can help employers and trade unions work together to make Welsh a natural, everyday choice at work, and why this is a vital step forward for building a truly inclusive workplace.

Dr Mandy James, TUC Cymru Bilingual Communications Officer stated: “Congratulations to the Pembrokeshire Coast National Park Authority and Unison Sir Benfro on making the commitment to ‘Twf – TUC Cymru’s Welsh Language at Work Charter’ and its four core principles, and to working in social partnership to create an inclusive bilingual workplace and growth in the use of Cymraeg at work.

“Trade unions have a key role in delivering on linguistic justice for workers in Wales, and in the provision of fair and equitable conditions and opportunities for all workers to use and learn Welsh at work. They promote and safeguard workers’ Welsh language rights at work as a matter of fairness, equality and equity.

“Unions also support members and workers to identify, organise and secure more opportunities for everyone to increasingly use Welsh at work, and develop their Welsh language skills. Using the Welsh language is a valuable and practical skill. The Welsh language is also a treasure we can all celebrate and be proud of – at work and in our lives.”

Growing the use of Welsh in workplaces across all sectors is a key priority of Welsh Government’s Cymraeg 2050 strategy, which aims to reach one million Welsh speakers by 2050.

Further information about ‘Twf – TUC’s Welsh Language at Work Charter’ can be found at https://www.tuc.org.uk/Twf.