Government urged to take ‘real action’ to increase the use of Welsh at work

A Welsh language campaign group has called for “real action” from the Welsh Government to increase the use of Welsh at work across the country.

It also supports encouraging staff to speak and use Welsh in the workplace, describing it as “good practice and crucial” to help normalise its use.

Cymdeithas yr Iaith was commenting after it was reported that Cyngor Gwynedd was “encouraging and motivating” first language English speaking staff not to speak English with fellow English speaking colleagues.

The details were outlined in a council report which had referred to its Maritime Service.

The report said: “Some officers, because English is their first language, speak English together on occasions despite our efforts to encourage and motivate them to speak Welsh.”

The report had also pointed out that seafaring manuals or safety posters were chiefly written in English, that maritime organisations corresponded in English only and specialist training was usually only offered through the medium of English.

In addition, it had stated the Marine Safety Code and risk assessments were also written in English, as it is necessary to share and discuss the content of these documents with external organisations, such as the Coastguard Agency, the Marine Accident Investigation Branch or the HSE.

The details came to light in a Welsh language strategy report due to be discussed by the council’s Language Committee, on Monday, April 20.

The Economy and Community Department document had described the implementation of the council’s language policy and contribution towards the realisation of its Welsh Language Strategy, 2023 – 2033.

Promoting Welsh is part of Cyngor Gwynedd’s policy to maximise use of the language across its council services.

Its aim is to ensure that the Welsh language will thrive in the county.

Aled Thomas, chair of Cymdeithas yr Iaith’s Rights Group, said: “Most workplaces in Wales operate internally in English, and Cyngor Gwynedd is a rare example of a Welsh-medium workplace, which is the minority in Wales.

“Encouraging staff to speak and use Welsh is good practice that other organisations should adopt.

“Given how much time we spend at work, creating Welsh-language workplaces is a crucial way to normalise the use of the language and create Welsh-speaking spaces.

“Indeed, increasing the use of Welsh in workplaces is one of the main aims of the national language strategy, Cymraeg 2050, yet there is little evidence that substantive progress is being made on this across the country.

“Wider systems often work against these efforts, with many resources, training, and external communications available only in English.

“As a result, individuals and organisations who wish to use Welsh often have to swim against the tide.

“What is needed is to turn the tide, along with far more real action by the Welsh Government to ensure an increase in the use of Welsh in workplaces across the country.”