06.12.2023

Today, the S4C Authority publishes the Report from Capital Law into the fact-finding exercise undertaken into the working environment at S4C, instigated following serious concerns raised with us by BECTU in April 2023. The evidence gathered reflects the views and experiences of more than ninety individuals who are current or former members of staff at S4C or are partners with whom the organisation works.

The Report paints a picture of a very difficult working environment for many at S4C. Participants described an unsettling workplace, with some individual members of the senior management team behaving in an inappropriate way and with an approach that directly impacted the well-being of staff.

As Members of the S4C Authority, we would like to say sorry to those who have had to tolerate unacceptable behaviours in the workplace and for the upset that this has caused. We would like to thank you for your openness and honesty in sharing your experiences, enabling the failings highlighted in today's report to be identified.

Participants recognised that change is needed at S4C and that the senior management team were intent on delivering an ambitious vision for the channel's future. It appears, however, that the way this was shared by some with staff and the approach to managing change across the organisation was insensitive. This often led to conflict and insecurity rather than creativity and a positive, inclusive transformation. It is clear that many S4C staff have been unhappy at work and that our organisation did not seem to have appropriate working practices in place to be able to deal openly and appropriately with staff concerns.

We value the input of BECTU on behalf of staff members, who asked us to take action once it was clear that adequate progress had not been achieved directly with the senior management. We look forward to ongoing discussions with colleagues about the support needed within the workplace.

The S4C Authority is committed to ensuring that S4C is a place where our colleagues are happy and safe – a place where they feel able to perform at their best and thrive. We recognise that significant work is required to put in place new ways of working that will allow S4C to build a positive future with a supported and creative workforce. To do that, we need to restore confidence and trust amongst our staff, who have such a crucial role to play in the future success of the organisation. Integral to that success is leadership focussed on collaboration and communication. As an Authority, we decided that this would require new leadership at S4C, and we will shortly make further announcements about that process.

There is considerable work to do to fully address all of the issues raised by the evidence received. We will work with colleagues, including the Management and Transformation Teams and the recently-established Staff Forum, to encourage an open discussion and sharing of ideas on better ways of working.

The interim leadership team has already made positive changes to enable better and more open communication within the organisation and we are thankful to them for their work at this time. They will continue to ensure that we have support for staff in place in the coming weeks.

We have been sensitive to a potential conflict of interest for the Chairman. These issues were reviewed by Members of the Authority, independently of the Chairman, and have been dealt with accordingly. It was agreed that they did not merit any further action and would not prevent the Chairman from participating in the ongoing review. All decisions arising from this process have been unanimous.

We have striven to put the well-being of S4C's staff at the heart of our decisions throughout this process. It has been a complex and difficult matter to navigate with difficult decisions based on complex legal issues. Care has been taken to limit public statements that could lead to further conflict, and we will need to continue to carefully consider what information can be shared to respond to further questions. We will, of course, provide as much information as possible about the process as part of the ongoing scrutiny of the S4C Authority. We have shared this report with the UK Government's Department for Culture, Media and Sport and the Welsh Government and look forward to parliamentary scrutiny in due course.

In the meantime, we would like to thank our colleagues and partners for their ongoing support for S4C. We look forward to continuing to play a vital role in commissioning innovative content, promoting the Welsh language and culture and growing audiences for made-in-Wales content.