Bristol City Council, insurer DAS UK Group and trade union Unite are all signing up to the Trades Union Congress’ (TUC) ‘Dying to Work’ charter, offering greater support to staff who are living and working with terminal illnesses.
The charter asks employers to be supportive and understanding of staff following diagnosis, and to provide them with the security and dignity of work, as well as the right to choose the best course of action for themselves and their families without undue financial loss.
Signatories of the Dying to Work charter are also asked to support the campaign to ensure all employees with terminal illness have adequate protection for their employment and death-in-service benefits.
Kate Banks, group director of HR and legal services at DAS UK Group, said: “This initiative supports our values, is absolutely the right thing to do and we are very happy to work with Unite and the TUC to give this reassurance to our people. We are looking forward to signing the charter alongside Unite and Bristol City Council.”
Donna Williams, regional coordinating officer at Unite, added: “We welcome the signing of the Dying to Work charter with Bristol City Council, where we have members, as well as by DAS UK Group, which sends out a positive message to other employers in the city.
“We believe this shows a strong commitment by both the private and public sectors to support employees at the most difficult time in their lives; managing a terminal illness, but still with a valid contribution to make in the workplace.
“This is a much better alternative to seeking to dismiss them via the capability route, at a time that they and their families will be struggling greatly on both emotional and financial levels.”
