The SNP Government is extending Fair Work conditions as of October 2021, to help ensure workers across North Ayrshire and Scotland will benefit from more secure, flexible and family friendly employment.
The Fair Work First approach is focused on driving high quality and fair work across the labour market by applying relevant criteria to public sector grants and procurements.
New criteria will encourage employers to explicitly promote flexible and family friendly practices, alongside their opposition to fire and rehire processes and their support for other fair work priorities.
This offers workers job security as well as flexible work that can benefit both workers and their employer. This approach is central to Scotland’s economic recovery from the coronavirus pandemic.
Fair Work Minister Richard Lochhead MSP said:
“Everyone should have the opportunity to access secure and stable employment that pays a proper wage while affording staff the flexibility to balance their work and personal life.
“Fair work is at the heart of our economic recovery. That is why we are extending the fair work criteria to explicitly promote flexible and family friendly working alongside a clear opposition to fire and rehire practice, and doing so within 100 days of this Government."
Kenneth Gibson MSP added:
“While employment matters such as pensions and working hours are reserved to Westminster - hence the issues with Women’s State Pension Inequality and the UK having the lowest state pension amongst our European neighbours - the SNP Government is doing all it can to work in partnership with unions, workers and employers across all sectors of the economy to build fairer and more inclusive workplaces.
“We want Scotland to be a good place to live and make a living, where workers are treated fairly whilst employers are able to be successful. This balance can be challenging, and therefore the incentives put in place are hugely helpful to help employers offer the best working conditions they can.”
Fair Work First criteria are used in the evaluation of funding bids and applications for public sector procurements and grants and in wider funding decisions by public sector bodies. The new Fair Work criteria will come into effect from October 2021.
Updated Fair Work First guidance which is being developed with input from the Fair Work Convention, STUC, COSLA, and business and third sector partners, will be published in September.
More information on Fair Work First can be found here.
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