The mayor of London has backed Unite the Union’s Construction Charter, which sets out to improve the city’s construction standards, protect workers, and outlaw poor construction practices
The Construction Charter ensures building contractors and sub-contractors under the control of local authorities provide apprentice training, a safe working environment, and the industry rate of pay to workers.
From now on, the pioneering Charter will apply to major City Hall development projects – starting with the St Ann’s hospital site in Haringey, for which the Mayor is now seeking a development partner.
The St Ann’s site was purchased by the mayor last year with his Land Fund and is set to deliver hundreds of new homes – 60% of which will be genuinely affordable, including homes for social rent and community-led housing. Workers and residents can be confident that these projects will move forward with ethical construction practices.
In July, the mayor also launched his Good Work Standard – a benchmark for high employment standards, with fair pay at its heart. The Good Work Standard has a set of criteria covering fair pay and conditions, wellbeing, skills and progression, diversity and recruitment. Developed in collaboration with London’s employers, trade unions and professional bodies, it sets the benchmark the mayor wants every London employer to achieve, including paying all staff at least the London Living Wage, currently £10.55 an hour.
James Murray, deputy mayor for housing & residential development, said: “We are proud to back Unite the Union’s Construction Charter, which leads the way on world-class employment standards for construction workers across London.
“At City Hall, we are using all the resources and powers we have to build more council, social rented, and other genuinely affordable homes. The Charter means that workers and residents can be confident that projects we are involved with will follow best practice on conditions and pay for construction workers, and I urge other authorities to join us.”
Rokhsana Fiaz, mayor of Newham, said: “I am proud that this administration has been able to make another step forward on behalf of our employees by signing up to the Unite Construction Charter.
“Without our hard working construction staff we would not be able to achieve the ambitious housing and regeneration targets I have set for the council, and which put us at the leading edge of social-rent house building across London.
“The Charter will not only improve employment standards for construction workers employed by this council, but also ensure that building projects undertaken by the council are delivered to the highest standard.”
