Colchester Borough Council is set to add its name to a new charter aimed at helping employees who become terminally ill.

Members of its cabinet will discuss the move when they meet on September 5, 2018.

The charter forms part of the TUC’s wider Dying to Work campaign which seeks greater support and security for terminally ill workers through, among other promises, a ‘protected period’ where they cannot be dismissed because of their condition.

While the council’s existing employment policies and Employee Assistance Programme already enshrine elements of the Dying to Work campaign, the charter offers additional assurances to council staff about how they will be supported, protected and guided throughout their employment following a terminal diagnosis.

Colchester Council hopes other employers in the borough will follow its lead and sign up to the voluntary charter.

Mark Cory, leader of Colchester Borough Council said: “We have always tried to support our staff in the best way we can. The last thing anyone with a terminal illness needs to worry about is their job.

“By signing the Dying to Work Charter we commit to treating our staff with the dignity and respect they deserve, as well as providing them with the reassurance of financial security at the time when they need it most.”