Assessing Scotland as a ‘Fair Work Nation’

Date: Thursday 1 May 2025 

Location: University of Strathclyde - Executive Room B, Technology & Innovation Centre, 99 George Street, Glasgow G1 1RD

The SNP Scottish Government declared in 2016 that Scotland would become a ‘fair work’ nation by 2025. This one-day event, organised by BUIRA Scotland, will examine Fair Work in terms of i) what’s been achieved and why?; ii) what’s not been achieved and why?; iii) does the Employment Rights Bill change the situation with regard to Fair Work?; and iv) is there still a need for the devolution of employment law?

Cost: £30 (includes lunch and teas/coffees). Please let us know if you have special dietary requirements.

Registration must be by Wednesday 16 April to allow for arranging catering provision given the Easter holidays.

9.30 Tea/coffee

10am Welcome & introduction – Professors Gregor Gall (University of Leeds) and Stewart Johnstone (University of Strathclyde)

10.30-11.15 Professor Patricia Findlay (Strathclyde) - presentation followed by discussion

11.15-11.30 Tea break

11.30 Roz Foyer (STUC) and Marek Zemanik (CIPD): The practitioner and public policy points of view

12.30 Professor Ruth Dukes (Glasgow): A labour law perspective - presentation followed by discussion

13.15 Lunch

14.00 Three research presentations followed by discussion, led by Professor Ian Cunningham (Strathclyde), Dr Anastasios (Tasos) Hadjisolomou (Strathclyde) and Dr Pedro Mendonca (Heriot-Watt)

15.15 Tea break

15.30 Professor Jean Jenkins (Cardiff): Where stands Scotland in comparison to Wales?

16.30 Conclusion - Professors Gregor Gall and Stewart Johnstone

17.00 Close and Thanks 

This event has been organised by BUIRA Scotland. BUIRA is the British Universities' Industrial Relations Association (https://www.buira.net/)

Summary of talks:

Professor Patricia Findlay, Professor of Work and Employment Relations, University of Strathclyde

Efforts to deliver fair work in Scotland have relied on voluntary measures and the creative use of devolved powers, with varying success. While UK employment law changes promise an improved floor of rights, Scotland’s fair work approach will continue to be important in shaping employer practice beyond minimum standards.

Roz Foyer, General Secretary, Scottish Trades Union Congress (STUC)

Scotland's ambition to be a Fair Work nation faces significant challenges, including a widening gender pay gap and limited collective bargaining. While initiatives like Fair Work First show some progress, effective enforcement and devolving employment law are essential. The New Deal for Workers could enhance Fair Work practices; however, bold leadership is required.

Marek Zemanik, Senior Public Policy Adviser, Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD)

What does CIPD’s Working Lives Scotland report series tell us about fair work in Scotland? What are the inequalities and trade-offs that employees experience? Where are the biggest gaps in job quality? And, crucially, what should employers and policymakers focus on to make a real difference to working lives?

Professor Ruth Dukes, Professor of Labour Law, University of Glasgow

I will consider the achievements of Fair Work Scotland to date in light of the law reforms contained in the Employment Rights Bill 2024 and the additional proposals contained in Make Work Pay. Do such UK-wide law reforms suggest a need to reshape the priorities and approaches embodied in Fair Work Scotland?

Professor Ian Cunningham, Professor of Employment Relations, University of Strathclyde

As part of the aim of making Scotland a Fair Work nation, much attention has been focused on the social care workforce. This paper will provide an overview of some of the key facilitators and barriers facing efforts to achieve effective voice, and decent pay and other working conditions in the sector. It will further reflect on the potential implications of changes to current employment law, and economic policy on prospects for progress towards Fair Work in social care.

Dr Anastasios (Tasos) Hadjisolomou, Senior Lecturer, University of Strathclyde

This talk examines Fair Work in Scotland’s hospitality industry, drawing on data from the collective Global Hospitality Research Alliance (GHRA) surveys conducted by the Strathclyde team. Applying the five Fair Work Principles—pay, conditions, contracts, management, and representation - the research reveals significant gaps in achieving fair work for all workers, underscoring the need for improved employment practices and proposes actionable insights for enhancing working conditions in alignment with Fair Work. The research team also includes Dr Irma Booyens, Professor Dennis Nickson, Tayler Cunningham, and Professor Tom Baum (all University of Strathclyde).

Dr Pedro Mendonca, Associate Professor in Work and Employment, Heriot-Watt University

This talk investigates Fair Work in Scotland's gig economy, reflecting on Scotland’s Fair Work Framework, exposing disparities for marginalized groups. Survey data highlights the exclusion of gig work from national Fair Work measures, normalizing precarious practices. Findings reveal a troubling acceptance of unfair conditions, demanding urgent reform. The research team also includes Dr Anastasios (Tasos) Hadjisolomou, University of Strathclyde, and Dr Nadia Kougiannou, Associate Professor of Work and Employment, Nottingham Trent University.

Professor Jean Jenkins, Professor of Employment Relations, Cardiff University

Devolved administrations in Scotland and Wales have each committed to ideals of Fair Work. However, their challenge is to convert the rhetoric of fairness and social good into concrete change for workers. This session focuses on the relative positions of Wales and Scotland in realising their policy goals in practice.