Wales' leading gender equality charity has been forced to make half its workforce redundant following a loss of funding due to Brexit.
Chwarae Teg - Welsh for “fair play” - will lose 24 workers on May 31, leaving it with a staff of 25. Launched in 1992 with current Social Justice Minister Jane Hutt as its first director, the body has championed the role of women in the workplace.
For more than a decade, Chwarae Teg has benefitted from grants allocated by the EU’s European Social Fund. Its Agile Nation2 programme has provided support for businesses and career development programmes for women in Wales.
Read more: Cost of Welsh Government's flagship South Metro rail electrification project soars to £1bn
More than 4,300 women took part in the career development programme, with more than 3,200 of them achieving a leadership qualification. In addition, more than 2,500 women gained salary increases worth a total of £6.6m.
More than 700 small and medium-sized businesses (SMEs) were supported to make positive change in the recruitment, retention and progression of women. More than 600 SMEs were supported to adopt or adapt Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) strategies. Altogether, it is estimated that Chwarae Teg’s economic impact for women in Wales has amounted to £72m over 10 years.
The charity will continue to receive some funding from the Welsh Government, enabling it to maintain the delivery of research and provide advice on government policy and procedures and work with schools to encourage more girls to take-up careers involving science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM) and support getting women on to company and public sector boards.
The charity will also continue to run the Chwarae Teg Womenspire Awards, funded through sponsorship, which recognise the achievements of women from all walks of life across Wales. But it points out that the continuing direct funding from the Welsh Government is fractional compared to what came from the EU.
To get our free daily briefing on the biggest issues affection the nation, Wales Matters, click here
The UK Shared Prosperity Fund (SPF), designed to fill the funding void left by Brexit, will not plug the hole. In order for organisations like Chwarae Teg to engage with the SPF it means bidding at regional and local area levels separately – making it unlikely that SPF will fill the gaps left by all-Wales interventions.
Chwarae Teg exists with the aim of securing a fairer Wales where all women can achieve and prosper. The charity’s research has even shown that enabling full gender equality would add as much as £13.6bn to the Welsh economy. However, the body now has no option but to shrink as an organisation.
Lucy Reynolds, who joined Chwarae Teg as chief executive at the end of February, as the charity's reorganisation drew to a close, said: “It is incredibly disappointing that despite huge efforts to negotiate further funding and generate more income we are in a situation where redundancies are having to be made. It’s not what we wanted but I do feel that we are in a position where there are opportunities for growth.
“Through fundraising and grant applications we can see green shoots and our FairPlay Employer commercial arm is growing in reputation - working with businesses and organisations inside and outside of Wales. Also, we are hopeful that some of our vital activities can continue through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund.
“That doesn’t take away from the sadness we feel at losing passionate and committed staff – who are real champions of equality and fairness and have always gone above and beyond for our cause. No redundancy process is easy, but they have all been respectful of the unavoidable and difficult decisions that have had to be made – while still advocating for Chwarae Teg and our future prosperity.”
“It’s also troubling as we know that the need is there for the significant work we have been doing. A thriving career development programme for women, and expert support and guidance for SMEs, is being lost. This is at a time when women are already being left most vulnerable to some of the worst impacts of the cost-of-living crisis.
“But we haven’t lost hope, Chwarae Teg will continue to work towards a fairer Wales where women achieve, prosper and are visible and influential across all sectors of the economy, society and in public life - regardless of their background or location.”
Ms Reynolds said there were plans for building back through developing fundraising and grant capabilities and there is also Chwarae Teg’s commercial arm - FairPlay Employer – a management consultancy which reinvests its profits into the charity. Its work links closely with the ethos that more equal, diverse and inclusive workplaces work better for all staff and can bring considerable benefits to the employer.
The service offers and delivers consultancy, inclusive leadership training, workshops as well as a subscription programme.
READ NEXT:
The videos that seduce young teenagers into a world of misogyny, sexism and violence
The ten areas of Wales where the most children grow up in poverty
-
Headteachers fear schools will have to pick up bill for pay rise offered in Wales
Wales faces massive shortage of specialist physics and chemistry teachers
Every DWP cost of living payment expected to be paid in March and April
