‘It’s not okay to function illegally’: work continues on good equestrian employment

Work in direction of guaranteeing good employment within the equestrian business turns into “the norm” is continuous, as a brand new four-year technique is about out.

Final month, the Equestrian Employers Affiliation (EEA) joined forces with the equestrian business’s main governing our bodies to push for good employment observe throughout the business, in its annual Good Employment Week (information, 10 November). Following this, the British Grooms Affiliation (BGA) and EEA have launched new strategic plans for 2023-2027.

The plans set out the organisations’ “mission” to advertise, help, educate and foyer, as grooms’ and employers’ consultant our bodies, on the significance of excellent employment and profession alternatives within the business. The main focus will probably be on representing grooms within the UK, inspiring future generations and elevating the profile of grooms as a rewarding profession alternative, helping and educating the equestrian workforce about compliant employment, supporting psychological well being within the office, and advocating that EEA and BGA members adhere to excessive requirements of professionalism and conduct.

“Secure workers carry out a vital position within the success of an equestrian yard and the welfare of the horse. We want for all grooms to solely ever work in skilled, caring, viable companies the place the legalities are adhered to, and their wellbeing is paramount,” stated BGA and EEA chairman Chris Hewlett.

“Our revised technique focuses on serving to employers to realize and keep the most effective requirements. Our new imaginative and prescient units the tone of our plans for the longer term. We are going to proceed to advocate, educate on and help good employment, as we positively imagine that that is the one solution to maintain the workforce of our business.”

EEA founder and BGA government director Lucy Katan added that the organisations “felt it was time to evaluate their work and reset their focus”.

“It’s merely improper that we nonetheless have employers who suppose that the legislation doesn’t apply to them. That is detrimental to the whole sector and is evidenced to have broken our recruitment and retention of the workforce. We are actually being extra strategic with the message that it’s not OK to function companies illegally; solely good employment is suitable and, collectively, we should attempt for this to turn out to be the norm, identical to it’s in every other sector,” she stated.

“Grooms wouldn’t work in a manufacturing facility that paid under the nationwide minimal wage, ignored all employment rights, and believed that regardless of the equipment being considerably harmful, well being and security didn’t apply of their facility – so why ought to they work in an equestrian yard that adheres by the identical ideas?”

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