Fair work action plan: annual report

3.8. Collective Bargaining

Our commitment

Increasing the number of workers in Scotland covered by collective bargaining.

What we have achieved

Increasing collective bargaining coverage across Scotland is a priority in the Fair Work Action Plan and can be an indicator of the adoption of Fair Work First. The importance the Scottish Government places on strong worker voice is reflected in the inclusion of an employee voice indicator within the National Performance Framework. Our Action Plan confirms our subsequent commitment to work with the STUC to achieve increased coverage across Scotland, initially focussing on four key sectors: social care; early years & child care; hospitality; and construction.

We are supporting the STUC to progress this work initially through a mapping of existing collective bargaining arrangements and national agreements across Scotland. The respective research has been completed and reports providing a detailed picture of collective bargaining agreements, such as where they exist, the level and types of agreements, number of workers benefiting from collective bargaining, and anomalies between groups of workers, will be finalised in Spring 2021. This work will help to inform how we might extend collective bargaining in the four key sectors identified, and more widely in the longer term.

Our future priorities

We will continue to support the STUC to progress this work, giving consideration to current coverage and effectiveness, the scope for expansion and the next steps for progressing this important work. We will formally establish cross-policy working groups as we take this work forward.