Fair Work action plan: progress report - June to December 2025
Report covering the significant progress made on actions within the Fair Work action plan between June 2025 and December 2025. This plan was shared with the Fair Work Oversight Group in January 2026.
Part of
4. Headline Action 3
4.1 Our Aims
We will support employers to utilise the resources and support available to embed Fair Work in their organisations. We will work collaboratively to develop these resources to support and build capability among employers, employability providers and partners.
4.2 Delivery Overview
Action 3.1 (complete) – Work with partners to develop a central Fair Work resource offer.
This is now under ongoing updating and development. A second phase of content for the Fair Work Hub was launched on 09 June 2025, and a third phase on 07 November, covering topics from effective voice, in-work poverty, real Living Wage and Living Hours, and FAQs. This was promoted through Scottish Government newsletters, partners, and Local Employability Partnerships.
Analytics from the three-month review show that the Fair Work Hub has around 88% average engagement, above the 78% average engagement for all mygov.scot pages. However, scroll depth scores more poorly. Given the frequency with which new content is uploaded, some statistics reflect less than the 3-month period, which may impact the data.
Action 3.2 (complete) – Develop a communications strategy to highlight and promote the benefits of Fair Work.
Work continues to develop the Fair Work communication and engagement strategy. This includes the continued development of an employer case study resource to promote Fair Work messages via our channels, identifying and providing key employers for Ministerial visits to proactively promote Fair Work to employers across Scotland, and the continued promotion of Fair Work via Scottish Government newsletters and partner media channels.
Evolving from the subgroup previously established to help deliver action 3.1, a new stakeholder network focused on expanding and amplifying the Fair Work message to employers held its inaugural meeting. The outcome was the proposal of a second Fair Work Festival in March 2026 and extending invitations to employers to join the network.
Action 3.3 (in progress) – increase the number of people who have security of pay and contract by encouraging employers to seek real Living Wage and Living Hours accreditation.
Living Wage Scotland have submitted Q1 and Q2 reports. In Q1, 2,430 pay uplifts were secured, accounting for 49% of the 2025/26 financial year target of 5,000 uplifts. 61% of uplifts (1,482) were from the following low pay sectors: Care, Childcare, Cleaning, Health, Hospitality, Tourism, Manufacturing, Retail, and Security. 8 more employers were uplifted to Living Hours, with 295 Living Wage accredited employers prospected about uplifting to Living Hours.
In Q2, 753 further uplifts were secured due to 129 becoming Living Wage accredited. By the end of Q2, a total of 3,183 uplifts (63%) were secured by this financial year.
For Real Living Wage Week 2025, Scotland reached the milestone of 4,000 accredited employers, which the First Minister marked with a visit to Capital City Partnership on 10 November.
Action 3.8 (in progress) – Work in sectors of low pay and precarious work to develop sectoral Fair Work agreements.
There have been developments in the sectoral Fair Work agreements outlined in Action 3.8:
- Construction – Work continues through the Construction Leadership Forum’s Fair Work working group and officials to progress the recommendations form the Fair Work Convention’s inquiry. A Fair Work Charter remains a high priority for the Working Group and is progressing well.
- Culture – The Culture Fair Work Taskforce has met in July, September, October, and early November to finalise their recommendations report. This is due to be presented to the Cabinet Secretary for Constitution, External Affairs and Culture shortly.
- Retail – Following sign off from Retail ILG members and co-chair Deputy First Minister and Cabinet Secretary for Economy and Gaelic, ‘Growing Fair Work in Retail’ was published on gov.scot on Tuesday 04 November.
4.3 Related Actions Across the Scottish Government
Early Learning and Childcare (in progress) – The next Care Inspectorate Annual Return will include a question for commissioned providers of funded ELC asking whether they pay their staff the real Living Wage. Officials will engage with providers to raise awareness of this requirement and highlight the support available to help them implement it if they are not already doing so.
Additionally, through the SSSC’s Have Your Say survey, officials will ask staff working in the funded ELC sector directly if they receive at least the real Living Wage. We will communicate to them of how they can escalate concerns if they are not receiving at least the real Living Wage.
Education (in progress) – The Gender Equality Taskforce in Education and Learning (GETEL) has agreed to sit as a formal reference group as part of the Curriculum Improvement Cycle to support it being delivered with a gendered lens.
At the end of October 2025, 167 classroom sessions had been delivered – with another 47 booked in for November and December 2025 - as part of the Unions into Schools and Developing the Young Workforce programmes to develop a Fair Work ethos in our future workforce and business leaders.