UNISON Scotland has welcomed the Scottish Government’s report on pay equality and says it gives hope to low-paid women.
The report by the Economy and Fair Work Committee, published today (Monday), gives comprehensive and detailed recommendations to promote pay equality and tackle the enduring 16% pay gap between women and men.
Recommendations include:
• The need for an overarching Scottish strategy to tackle pay inequality
• The need to recognise the status value and economic importance of all forms of care work
• The need to go beyond promotion of the living wage to reward the true value of care work
• The benefit of better procurement rules to test the equality credentials of private contractors when they bid for public contracts.
The report also highlights the shortcomings of the enterprise agencies in promoting pay equality with businesses benefiting from public support, and the need for new equality conditions to be attached to public investment.
Commenting on the report, Peter Hunter, UNISON’s Scottish Organiser, said:
“It is a sad fact that in 2017 a pay gap of 16% exists between women and men. This report offers hope to our low-paid members, with tangible recommendations on how to end this travesty. Public spending should never fuel pay inequality and we welcome the committee’s recommendation for better procurement rules.
“The report is also timely because it alerts the Scottish Government to the vital role of the enterprise agencies in linking business support and investment to action on equality. The Scottish Government’s Enterprise and Skills Review is currently mapping out the future of enterprise agencies, yet it has said nothing about improving future performance on equality issues. It’s vital the review embraces the work of the economy committee to put equality at the heart of Scottish public spending decisions.”
ENDS
1. You can find a copy of the report here: http://www.parliament.scot/S5_EconomyJobsFairWork/Reports/EJFWS052017R06.pdf
2. The future of enterprise agencies is being mapped out by the Scottish Government’s Enterprise and Skills Review, which published its findings last week. You can view a copy here: http://www.gov.scot/Publications/2017/06/4042/downloads