It’s now 10 years since Living Wage Scotland was launched by the Poverty Alliance– and we have seen a decade of incredible impact. More than 64,000 workers in Scotland have received a pay increase to the real Living Wage because of their employer’s Living Wage commitment. These pay rises amount to more than £465 million … Read more

A just Scotland where every worker’s wage meets their everyday needs – that’s goal of the real Living Wage movement. In 2007, The Poverty Alliance joined other anti-poverty groups, trade unions, business leaders, and community groups to launch the Scottish Living Wage Campaign. We had taken inspiration from London Citizens a broad-based alliance that launched … Read more

Fair Work and Black History Month are linked. Fair Work, through its enabling dimensions of Effective Voice, Opportunity, Security, Fulfilment and Respect, seeks to improve workplaces and leave no-one behind. Scotland’s ambition is for Fair Work to be the driver for success, wellbeing and prosperity for individuals, businesses and society. The objectives of Black History … Read more

A fundamental purpose of any government is to make choices about the allocation of funds. No government – whether in good financial times or bad – has enough money to do everything. So, politicians must choose on the basis of the priorities they have set. For social care, this is where it gets really interesting. … Read more

Fair Work Convention member Anna Fowlie is the Chief Executive of the Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations (SCVO) talks about Fair Work and the ten key principles of the Volunteer Charter which help to underpin good relations within a volunteering environment. SCVO has recently signed up to being a Champion for the Volunteer Charter, and … Read more

Fair Work Convention member Tracy Gilbert is the regional secretary for Usdaw, the UKs largest retail union and chairs the Fair Work Working Group for the Scottish Governments Industrial leadership group. There can be no doubt over the fundamental importance of Scotland’s retail sector. Retail employs an estimated 250,000 workers, around 10% of the workforce, … Read more

Neil McInroy, Community Wealth Building Adviser to the Scottish Government, talks about the Community Wealth Building and why we must build an economy where all Scots have a genuine stake in the wealth we produce. Scotland is a wealthy country, with abundant natural and human resources. However, we must build an economy where all Scots … Read more

Twenty twenty-two has been a challenging year for many workers and employers who are struggling through the demands of the cost of living crisis in the aftermath of Covid-19 and Brexit. In these exceptional times, we believe that adopting a fair work approach is more important than ever. Read Fair Work Convention – Year in … Read more

The Scottish Government has just published its Anti-Racist Employment Strategy. From a Fair Work perspective, this is undoubtedly a critical issue. But it is also a critical time. For as history has evidenced, when economic and social circumstances are the most difficult, there is a growth in equality, and it is the already disadvantaged groups … Read more

Christine McCaig, Living Wage Projects Coordinator – Living Wage Scotland, talks about the Cost of Living Crisis and why secure work is needed more than ever. The phrase ‘out of the frying pan, into the fire’ springs to mind when I think about the impact of the last few years on Scotland’s lowest-paid workers. It … Read more