Independent Culture Fair Work Task Force Report and Recommendations

Conclusions

170. Given the laudable ambition of ensuring Fair Work principles are applied to the endeavours of as many as possible, across the wide range of the culture and creative industries, the landscape nevertheless appears unnecessarily complex in some cases (such as conditionality and procurement) and lacking in others – such as sectoral data, co-ordinated and coherent monitoring activities and opportunities for restorative enforcement.

171. Our analysis as a Task Force has therefore focused on the strategic, overarching, issues that will equip Scotland for the future and we have avoided an examination of the operation of individual current mechanisms.

172. We have instead chosen to highlight principles and approaches that are based on the recognition of the key principles that should be applied, across all those who fund culture and creative industries – public, private, philanthropic and Third Sector.

173. We argue throughout the report that primary responsibility for providing Fair Work lies with the individual organisations that engage with the work force – irrespective of funding status. Monitoring is necessary and supports continuous improvement and enforcement should, ideally, be a last resort – recognising the benefits that effective application of Fair Work principles delivers for all.

174. However the Task Force also wholly recognises that conditionality in grants and procurement - as at present – and in an expanded role as we recommend will continue to be a powerful catalyst for continuous improvement.

175. Not only as it influences behaviour and the individual organisational culture of providers, leading to improvements in the way that services are delivered, but also as it provides a profound statement not only on the value of creative work but also the country that Scotland is, and aspires to be, expressed through our culture.