Carmarthenshire County Council signs the Twf Charter to support Welsh in the workplace

Carmarthenshire County Council has signed the TUC Cymru Twf Charter – The Welsh Language at Work Charter, showing its commitment to working closely with trade unions, their members and all workers to support the provision of inclusive bilingual workplaces and growth in the use of Welsh language across its workforce.

The Charter was signed at a formal signing event, highlighting the strong partnership between the Council as an employer and its trade unions. This joint working approach is central to the Twf Charter, which is led and supported by TUC Cymru.

The signing of the TWF Charter consolidates Carmarthenshire County Council’s ongoing commitment to the Welsh Language, with the County Council winning Welsh Language Employer twice since 2019, most recently in 2025. 

The Twf Charter is a practical framework that helps employers, staff and trade unions work together to create inclusive bilingual workplaces where staff feel confident to use, learn and develop their Welsh language skills.

By signing the Charter, the Council and its trade unions agree to:

• support staff who speak Welsh, are learning Welsh, or want to start using Welsh at work
• recognise Welsh as a valuable skill and a normal part of working life
• encourage a positive workplace culture where Welsh is used as a part of daily life

The Charter also commits the Council and trade unions to helping staff understand their right to use Welsh at work and to making it easier to use Welsh in everyday roles.

TUC Cymru has played a central role in supporting the Council and its trade unions throughout the process, providing guidance, expertise and practical support to ensure that the Twf Charter is implemented as a meaningful and sustainable framework for long-term cultural change.

Carmarthenshire County Council’s Leader, Cllr Linda Evans commented:

Cymraeg is a vital part of Carmarthenshire’s identity, and we want our staff to feel confident and supported in using it as part of their everyday working lives. We will ensure staff are given the tools, confidence and opportunities to use Cymraeg naturally at work, whether that’s with colleagues or the communities we serve.”

Carmarthenshire County Council’s Cabinet Member for Organisation and Workforce, Cllr Philip Hughes, said:

Signing the Twf Charter demonstrates our strong commitment to working in partnership with our trade unions to strengthen the use of the Welsh language in our workplaces. This is about embedding Cymraeg into our day‑to‑day working culture across Carmarthenshire and supporting staff to use the language confidently as part of the services we deliver.”

Dr Mandy James, TUC Cymru Bilingual Communications Officer stated:

Congratulations to Cyngor Sir Gâr, Unison, GMB and Unite on making the commitment to Siarter Twf and working in social partnership to create an inclusive bilingual workplace and growth in the use of Cymraeg at work. Trade unions have a critical role in delivering on linguistic justice for workers in Wales, safeguarding and promoting workers’ Welsh language rights as a matter of fairness, equality and equity and ensuring that workplaces are safe and free from prejudice and judgement. Using the Welsh language is a valuable and practical skill and a treasure we can all celebrate and be proud of – at work and in our lives. Twf can assist with planning and ensuring that the inclusive bilingual workplaces of the future are spaces where all workers can use their bilingual skills.”

Unison, Unite and GBM jointly said:

As trade union branches, we are very pleased to commit to the TUC Cymru Twf Charter and its principles, working alongside Carmarthenshire County Council. We support Carmarthenshire staff who speak Welsh and encourage others to learn and develop their Welsh language skills in the workplace. The Twf Charter offers a real opportunity for us all to strengthen our commitment to a bilingual workplace – as employer, trade union members, and workers, and it will support our Welsh speaking communities too.”

By signing the Twf Charter, the Council joins a growing number of employers across Wales who are taking practical steps to support the ambitions of Cymraeg 2050 and to ensure Welsh is a living, working language in the workplace.

For more information about the Twf Charter, visit their website.