The trade union Community has today announced that they have signed a recognition agreement with CPRE, the countryside charity.

The recognition agreement will now allow Community to negotiate on pay, holidays and working conditions as well as providing assistance and services to their members.  There will also be consultation on a wide range of additional issues.

Adrian Axtell, National Officer at Community, said:

“Community is delighted that after many months of working together, we have now formalised our partnership with this agreement.

Good bosses encourage their employees to unionise. It makes for a happier workforce and enables them to retain key experience and expertise to the long-term benefit of the organisation. We’re very happy that a charity with a history as long and storied as CPRE has recognised the value in working with trade unions.

We’re proud to be welcoming CPRE’s members into the Community family. We’re committed to supporting them as we navigate through these turbulent times, and working with CPRE in a positive and productive way to achieve the best outcomes for worker and charity.”

Mark Cornish, Director of Finance & Operational Effectiveness at CPRE says:

“Following a staff survey last year, where colleagues requested a more formal staff representation, we are delighted to have entered into a partnership with Community.

We look forward to working with Community in a constructive and positive way to achieve our vision of a beautiful and thriving countryside that enriches all our lives.”

CPRE’s current Staff Representative Group says:

“We are absolutely thrilled that CPRE and Community have put pen to paper to formally agree a union recognition agreement. This is something that staff members here at CPRE have supported for a long time and worked hard to help make a reality.

We chose Community as our preferred choice of union because they share CPRE’s values. They have been brilliant in supporting the Staff Representative Group over the past few months while negotiations were ongoing, and we are looking forward to continuing this positive relationship long into the future.

Today is a very good day for CPRE!”

CPRE, The Countryside Charity, formerly known as the Campaign to Protect Rural England, is a charity based in England with over 200,000 members and supporters. They have a history dating back to 1926, and Queen Elizabeth II is a patron of the organisation. Community is a trade union representing members in all sectors across the United Kingdom.

If you are a member of Community and need help or advice, please contact us at help@community-tu.org or on 0800 389 6332.