Open City launches recognition agreement with Independent Workers of Great Britain
Open City staff union representatives Chris Fisher and Simon Vickery
Open City has entered into a recognition agreement with Independent Workers’ Union of Great Britain (IWGB).
The union will support all workers at the charity and provide a collective voice for staff to have a say in the future of the organisation.
Open City staff union representatives, Chris Fisher and Simon Vickery said:
“Open City’s staff team, got together in late summer 2022 and decided to unionise. Now, after negotiating with the management team and with the support of our union, IWGB, we have been formally recognised in the workplace.
When we made the decision to unionise, our key motivations were to have a collective voice, to be involved in the crucial decisions that affect our lives at work and to support one another. Regardless of the size of an organisation or the existing dynamics in its workplace, the only way to guarantee that collective voice for all staff is to unionise. As staff we wanted to share our experiences, learn from each other, and make our workplace better. In organising together and negotiating this agreement with senior management, we’ve already made significant steps towards achieving those ambitions.
We are members of the IWGB Charity Workers branch. From our earliest discussions, we agreed on the importance of joining an active, genuinely democratic and member-led trade union that is focussed on winning disputes for its members. We are proud to be part of a union that was founded by low-paid migrant workers and that continues to prioritise grassroots action.
At a moment when the stresses felt by workers, whether the cost of living or mental health, intensify, the need for unions has never been more urgent. We hope that our recognition can inspire others across the sector to organise, and fortify those already organising, such as at the RSA.
We know it isn’t always easy to talk to your employers about your rights and conditions in the workplace, even if management is open and receptive to those discussions, as has been the case at Open City. But our process of negotiating with senior management has been conducted in good faith on both sides and in a spirit of productive compromise. We now have a substantial, meaningful agreement that makes space for all staff to participate more fully in the life of the charity and to have a greater say in the decisions that affect us. That can only be a good thing for Open City as the charity, and we who work there, grow and develop together.”
Deborah Denner, founder of Frame Projects and chair of the Open City board of trustees said:
“Our staff are at the heart of our work in making architecture and built heritage more open, accessible and equitable. We believe in cultivating a creative working environment in which all employees are supported to effect change, innovate and deliver meaningful programmes on behalf of the communities we serve.
The trustees and I are very pleased to have officially entered into a recognition agreement with Independent Workers’ Union of Great Britain, a trade union which will now support our growing staff team to have a meaningful voice in shaping the future of the charity.
I'd like to thank all the Open City staff who have contributed to drafting a recognition agreement that was the right fit for our organisation, and the management team who have worked closely with the staff and trustees to get this process right.
We are looking forward to working collaboratively with our team and IWGB to ensure Open City delivers its core charitable objectives with ambition and creativity while providing a supportive and nourishing working environment for our employees and volunteers for years to come."