Senior officers have today (Wednesday 11 December 2024) added our Service’s name to a charter aimed at helping employees who become terminally ill at work.
We are the latest employer to sign up to the Dying to Work Voluntary Charter, part of the Trade Union Council’s (TUC’s) wider Dying to Work campaign which is seeking greater security for terminally ill workers.
The initiative aims to provide additional employment protection, to ensure an employee cannot be dismissed from their job due to their condition, and advocates for employee choice on continuing to work if they wish, without fear of losing their income or job security.
Alongside Chief Fire Officer (CFO) Louise Harrison, adding their support to the Service Commitment, were Fire Authority (FA) Chairman, Councillor Simon Rouse, and Buckinghamshire Fire Brigades Union (FBU) Brigade Secretary, Chris Wycherley.
CFO Louise Harrison said:
“Here at BFRS we are people-focussed, and staff welfare is really important to us. We have had situations where people have, very sadly, been diagnosed with a terminal illness and we have done everything we can to support them and their family and will continue to do so.
“We consider terminal prognosis as a protected characteristic and are committed to looking after employees, ensuring all appropriate reasonable adjustments are put in place, to enable them to remain at work. For us, this is a given, but we appreciate for other employers this might not be the case.
“Signing this Charter seals that deal with our staff, and by supporting this campaign we can add our backing to this drive to provide dignity, security, and peace of mind to anyone in work who is already facing the incredibly challenging circumstances that come with a terminal diagnosis.
“Together, we can make a meaningful difference in the lives of those facing terminal illnesses.”
By signing the TUC Dying to Work Voluntary Charter, The Service has pledged:
- Recognition that terminal illness requires support and understanding rather than additional and avoidable stress and worry.
- To support terminally ill employees following their diagnosis, respecting their privacy, and recognising that safe and reasonable work can help maintain dignity, offer a valuable distraction and be therapeutic in itself.
- To provide our employees with the security of work, peace of mind, and the right to choose the best course of action for themselves and their families, to help them through the challenging period, with dignity and without undue financial loss.
- To support the TUC’s Dying to Work campaign so that all employees battling terminal illness have adequate employment protection and have their death in service benefits protected for the loved ones they leave behind.
Examples of this in action include:
- Ensuring the employee suffers no financial detriment and continuing to provide employment benefits.
- Adopting a flexible approach.
- Continuing to provide access to development opportunities.
- Providing the employee with information and the right to choose the best course of action.
- Considering reasonable adjustments to support employees in undertaking valuable work and provide some improved measure of wellbeing.
- Working with employees to assist them in achieving an appropriate work life balance and flexible working to support improved end of life care and support.
- Considering each case on its own merits and creating a specific support package for each employee diagnosed as being terminally ill.
FA Chairman, Cllr. Simon Rouse said:
“I am very pleased to have signed the Charter on behalf of BFRS. I am aware those facing a terminal diagnosis often experience immense emotional and financial stress.
“My hope is that this will help alleviate some of that burden and reassure anyone here at BFRS that they will be able to maintain their employment and associated benefits, such as death in service payments, which are only available to those who die while still employed.
“By supporting the Dying to Work campaign, this Fire Authority reaffirms its dedication to creating an inclusive and supportive workplace for all our Service employees.”
Buckinghamshire FBU Brigade Secretary, Chris Wycherley, said:
“The FBU in Buckinghamshire is proud of the steps taken to ensure any members of ours, diagnosed with a terminal illness, are protected.
“In signing the charter, BFRS commits to a minimum level of protections for employees, helping those that find themselves with incurables illnesses to maintain dignity and alleviate financial hardship.”
TUC London, East and South East Regional Secretary Sam Gurney, said:
“Your job should be the least of your worries when you get a terminal diagnosis.
“I’m delighted that BFRS has shown real leadership in this area, working with unions to guarantee fair treatment for terminally-ill workers.
“We now have over 1.5 million workers being covered by the Dying to Work charter across the country, and we expect more employers to commit in the coming months.”
Dying to Work was launched by the Trades Union Congress (TUC) in 2016, following the case of Jacci Woodcook, an area sales manager from Derbyshire who was forced out of her job after being diagnosed with terminal breast cancer.
More information about the Dying to Work campaign, including a list of others who have signed the Charter, can be found at www.dyingtowork.co.uk.
