Becoming a Fair Work Nation: consultation analysis

7. Conclusions

In total, 95 consultation responses were received, the majority of which were from organisations (76), with the remaining 19 from individuals. Respondents shared their views and ambitions for how the Scottish Government can encourage Fair Work in Scotland. Together, these responses are an essential evidence base for the Scottish Government to draw upon when refreshing the Labour Market Action Plans and to help Scotland become a Fair Work Nation.

Reflecting their experience and specific interests, this report provides a high-level summary of the perspectives in the consultation responses. For more detail, readers are encouraged to look to individual responses where permission was granted for publication^[4].

Several opportunities which may arise or have arisen from Fair Work were highlighted. The ability to increase pay for many people in Scotland, for employers to attract, recruit and retain staff and a diverse workforce, for improved employee wellbeing, and greater support and representation for workers were all common themes. Some respondents also highlighted the opportunity for Fair Work to identify and address the challenges faced by equality groups to entering and sustaining employment, and to improve diversity in the workplace and equality for marginalised or disadvantaged groups.

As well as benefitting organisations through increased productivity and resilience, Fair Work was also seen as a vital element of COVID-19 recovery and the Just Transition. In order to maximise these opportunities, respondents felt there was a need to take sector specific approaches and work in partnership with key sectors.

The most prevalent barriers to implementing Fair Work were identified as cost, a lack of knowledge among employers of Fair Work and its benefits, a lack of organisational capacity, and challenging organisational culture especially in sectors associated with low wages or insecure employment. These challenges are compounded by economic issues related to the COVID-19 pandemic, EU exit, low wages and the increasing cost of living, and a skill and labour shortage. This makes it difficult for organisations to prioritise Fair Work over other actions needed to help their business survive.

Respondents called on the Scottish Government to help organisations adopt Fair Work in several ways. These included through funding and in particular long-term funding of the third sector and other sectors reliant on Scottish Government investment. Other actions included providing centralised guidance and free training about Fair Work, promoting Fair Work through public procurement, undertaking more research about Fair Work, and raising public awareness about Fair Work.

While many recognised that employment law remains a reserved matter, suggestions for what Scotland could do with full control of employment law included increasing the National Minimum Wage, making zero-hours contracts illegal, and strengthening workers' rights around flexible working.

In addition to actions for the Scottish Government, there were calls for local authorities and public bodies to strengthen Fair Work clauses in their procurement exercises and act as examples of Fair Work employers to other local organisations. Some actions for employers were also suggested, including paying the real Living Wage to all employees, accommodating flexible work requests, and investing in more training and development opportunities for staff. Several organisations noted how they could offer their expertise and share best practice to raise awareness of Fair Work in other organisations.