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Security: STUC Just Transition - Future Proofing our workplaces

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Security: STUC Just Transition - Future Proofing our workplaces

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Security: STUC Just Transition Newsletter

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Security: STUC Just Transition Newsletter

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How does the gender pay gap relate to equal pay?

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Ministerial Foreword
Addressing inequality in the workplace involves everyone that contributes to and makes decisions within our labour market and economy. Commitment to diversity and inclusion will not only help us to build a wellbeing economy, but it will also help us towards becoming a leading Fair Work nation, benefiting employers, workers and wider society. The Scottish Government wants Scotland to be a place where every person has the same opportunities to enter, sustain and progress their careers in a safe, diverse and inclusive labour market.
Recognising the potential, skills and experience of current and future workers should apply to everyone who is part of the working age population of Scotland. We have in Scotland seen continued and steady improvement in addressing the gender pay gap and the disability employment gap and we will continue our efforts on these important issues. We have however sadly seen less progress in addressing racial inequality in the work place with, for example, the employment gap for 'minority ethnic' workers remaining stubbornly high.

That is why this strategy is needed to make greater strides in addressing racial inequality in the workplace. We need to understand what can be done to make progress and to challenge our thinking on how systemic inequalities exist and operate that prevent our fellow Scots from racialised minorities from reaching their potential in securing and succeeding in the work place and in turn from our economy benefitting fully from that potential.

This strategy recognises that there are many good examples of employers taking forward work to address institutional racism and challenge the systems and processes in the workplace that can embed and perpetuate inequality. Much of this is offered in more detail within the accompanying appendices. In order to make progress, it will be necessary for us all, government, employers, workers representatives and fellow colleagues and workmates to understand the issues, learn from others about what works and what can be done.

To do that effectively we need also to approach and learn about issues and lived experience in a safe and trauma-informed way, and to be comfortable with what may be new or uncomfortable. Without understanding what institutional racism is and how it can drive labour market inequality, we will not effectively address all forms of racism in the workplace.

Addressing institutional racism through a commitment to diversity and inclusion benefits everyone. It can help recognise and attract the potential and skills of hidden talent pools and drive productivity and can enable more people to contribute to the economy through active labour market participation.

We recognise the economic challenge and uncertainty of recent years following the pandemic and now with the current cost crisis and financial pressure on households and businesses. There will always be variables that affect our economy but addressing inequality should always remain a constant. For us to deliver on our aim for Scotland to become a leading Fair Work nation by 2025, we must collectively and constantly look at the multiple barriers that affect experiences of work for racially minoritised people, how these can be addressed and how we measure the impact of our actions.

I look to employers to demonstrate bold, transparent leadership; to be the agents for change; actively challenging and addressing structures of inequality in our institutions. The actions, support, and advice in this strategy, aligned with and incorporated into our wider refreshed Fair Work Action Plan, provide a means to help deliver this. I look forward to working with you as we implement this strategy.

I wish to thank the members of our Short-Life Working Group for their input to date and whose range of expertise helped to shape the strategy, as well as stakeholders from a range of other backgrounds through the related process to refresh the Fair Work Action Plan. They have helped us to understand the impact of racism on people and communities who are marginalised in the labour market and the anti-racist approach that employers can take to address institutional racism. Going forward, we will continue to engage with our stakeholders and those that represent the voice of lived experience to ensure this strategy helps shape a fairer Scotland.
Richard Lochhead
Minister for Just Transition, Employment and Fair Work

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Anti-racist employment strategy - A Fairer Scotland for All

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The Strategy is a call for action and a guide to address the issues and disadvantage experienced by people from racialised minorities in the labour market in Scotland. It is a key component in achieving our ambition to become a leading Fair Work Nation by 2025.

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Thank you for visiting our website. We are a registered charity governed by a board which is made up of a majority of disabled people.

Our mission is to achieve positive changes to policy and practice, so that we disabled people are fully included throughout all Scottish society as equal citizens. We do this by influencing decision-makers, supporting disabled people to be decision-makers themselves, and developing capacity, awareness and engagement. Find out more about our approach and work.

You can become a member of Inclusion Scotland by visiting our membership page. Membership is free and open to disabled people, disabled people's organisations and our supporters.

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Inclusion Scotland | National Disabled People's Organisation

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Thank you for visiting our website. We are a registered charity governed by a board which is made up of a majority of disabled people. Our mission is to achieve positive changes to policy and practice, so that we disabled people are fully included throughout all Scottish society as equal citizens.

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Example: Fair Work Leadership and Equalities

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Example: Fair Work Leadership and Equalities

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Black Women Leadership Course Scotland FINAL

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Respect: Using Fair Work to build united workplaces

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Respect: Using Fair Work to build united workplaces

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Resources: Confirmation of employers compliance with Fair Work First

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Resources: Confirmation of employers compliance with Fair Work First

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The Fight Against the Far Right - fair work conference slides

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We believe Scotland's social care system requires a root and branch reform. Both social care service users and care workers have been let down by successive Scottish Governments.
Social care workers provide essential care and support in communities and residential homes across Scotland. Their work is challenging, underpaid and undervalued and the sector struggles to recruit and retain workers. Care service delivery is fragmented, and all too often delivered by private providers who prioritise profit over quality of care.

Trade unions, service user groups and employers agree that Scotland's social care sector faces an escalating crisis. As demand for care increases and local authority budgets are cut there is an urgent need for funding to ensure fair pay and decent terms and conditions for social care staff.

To address the core issue and create a truly transformative National Care Service, it must be based on public ownership and control with not-for-profit service delivery.

The majority of residential care in Scotland is provided by for profit enterprises, often owned by private equity firms whose ultimate ownership lies in tax havens. There are numerous examples of private providers terminating contracts with local authorities, either by choice or following the collapse of the company. This results in overstretched local authorities attempting to cover gaps in care provision, leaving workers at risk of redundancy and the system failing to meet the needs of care service users. Scotland can neither afford nor tolerate the social care investment lost to the opaque and complex corporate structures of many private providers.

Our research "Profiting from Care: Why Scotland Can't Afford Privatised Social Care", evidenced:

In older people's care homes, staffing resources are 20% worse in the private sector compared to the not for profit sector.

Over the last six years, the public sector has paid on average £1.60 more per hour to care workers than the private sector.

£28 of every £100 received in care home fees leaks out of the most profitable privately owned care homes in the form of profits, rent, payments to directors and interest payments on loans. While not all of this extraction is illegitimate, it compares to only £3.43 of every £100 for the largest not-for-profit care home operators.

A growing concentration of residential care provided by large for-profit companies leaves care residents and workers at the mercy of market failure.

What do we want?

Social care functions on the dedication and commitment of care workers. We demand an end to low pay and poor terms and conditions. This can't wait on a National Care Service, we need the Scottish government, local authorities and employers to deliver:

mandatory minimum wage of £15 per hour for carers and significant increase for other care staff such as domestics

pay parity with the NHS across the whole wage structure

collective sectoral bargaining, starting with trade union recognition, to ensure workers are represented effectively

improved employment contracts and terms and conditions to provide full sick pay from day, paid rest breaks and increased mileage allowance

an end to zero hours and precarious contracts to provide wage and job security

development of a national workforce plan to provide enhanced training and career progression opportunities

Collective action - a powerful voice for care workers

We support social care unions - UNISON, GMB and UNITE - to bring workers and trade union representatives together to identify common issues and develop campaigns to make real change in social care. We have held two successful joint care sector union campaigning schools.

Missing Millions

Scottish Government have pulled back from their commitment to fund contractual benefits for care sector workers. Over £38 million was allocated to cover maternity, paternity and sick pay costs which has now been withdrawn.
On the 25th April 2024 UNISON, GMB and UNITE held a demo at the Scottish Parliament to lobby politicians and demand the return of the Missing Millions. Download the Missing Millions flyer here. Sign the letter to Neil Gray MSP, Cabinet Secretary for NHS Recovery, Health and Social Care on Megaphone here.
Resources
Read our research report, Profiting From Care: Why Scotland Can't Afford Privatised Social Care, here. Read our briefing for MSP's for the National Care Service (Scotland) Bill Stage 1 Debate here
The Scottish Government carried out a series of engagements with stakeholders during the co-design period of the National Care Service (Scotland) Bill. Read our briefing for MSPs that outlines our proposals for a National Care Service here.
Read our research report into complaints upheld in older people's care homes

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We believe Scotland's social care system requires a root and branch reform. Both social care service users and care workers have been let down by successive Scottish Governments. Social care workers provide essential care and support in communities and residential homes across Scotland.

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The STUC is represented on the Fair Work Convention and works with it and Government to implement the Fair Work Framework and Fair Work First in the public, private and Third Sector.
The Scottish Government's stated intention is for Scotland to become a Fair Work nation by 2025. Since the introduction of Fair Work First in 2023 a range of public sector employers as well as employers receiving Scottish Government contracts and funding have been required to publish Fair Work statements which should, where a union or unions are recognised, be agreed and signed by the unions. Alongside this, a range of organisations have agreed or are negotiating Fair Work Agreements which in many cases go beyond the Fair Work Statements.

From April 2024, the STUC intends to create a unit to support all such activities; to map opportunities; share best organising practice and to assess and deliver training.

The Fair Work Convention has a range of resources and TUC Education has recently produced and is piloting an online Fair Work resource [ link]. Our project will seek to build on this by working with partners to create additional training and resources tailored to the needs of reps and officers.

Resources

© 2025 Scottish TUC

Scottish Trades Union Congress8 Landressy StreetGlasgowG40 1BP

Tel 0141 337 8100Email info@stuc.org.uk
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Everyone deserves Fair Work. The STUC is represented on the Fair Work Convention and works with it and Government to implement the Fair Work Framework and Fair Work First.

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Opportunity: Fair Work Leadership and Equalities Project

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Opportunity: Fair Work Leadership and Equalities Project

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Fair Work Leadership & Equalities Project

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Effective Voice: Advancing Fair Work in areas without collective bargaining

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Effective Voice: Advancing Fair Work in areas without collective bargaining

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Fulfilment: Implementing Fair Work through collective bargaining

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Fulfilment: Implementing Fair Work through collective bargaining

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Implement Fair Work through Collective Bargaining

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You must have Javascript enabled in your browser to access this course.

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STUC Just Transition Project | Instagram | Linktree

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Updates and resources from the STUC JT project

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Time for Inclusive Education (TIE) is Scotland's LGBT Inclusive Education charity.

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Show Racism the Red Card is an anti-racism education charity, established in England in January 1996 to harness the high-profile nature of footballers as anti-racist role models to educate against racism throughout society in the United Kingdom.

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Further reading: Fair Work First Guidance

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Further reading: Fair Work First Guidance

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Putting fair work of Scotland’s workplaces and economy