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Scottish Executive and STUC Memorandum of Understanding: Paper on Fair Employment Practice and Effective Trade Unionism
ANNEX A: Scottish Executive and Fair Employment Practice: Case Studies
Fair Employment Practice Case Study: Supporting the Voluntary Sector helping people with mental health problems in relation to employment
We support the development of social firms - social economy businesses to provide employment opportunities within a supportive working environment for people who are disabled and/or disadvantaged in the labour market. Social firms are non-profit distributing, with any surplus being shared by the employees or re-invested in the business or community. We are currently working with Social Firms Scotland to expand the social firm model for mental health sufferers. We also provide grant support to several voluntary organisations in the mental health field, which have an interest in employment issues for people with mental health problems.
Fair Employment Practice Case Study: Voluntary Issues and Unified Voluntary Sector Funds
Scottish Executive grants to the voluntary sector bodies contain a standard condition that can be related to fair employment and equal opportunities.
These grants are for both core and project purposes. For example funding the running costs of organisations such as Volunteer Development Scotland or the Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations. Or project funding for organisations such as Scottish Business in the Community, to meet the cost of a specific piece of work. In both instances fair employment practice is a condition of grant award.
Organisations applying for Unified Voluntary Sector Funds must ensure that in carrying out the activity for which the grant is being given that they and anyone acting on their behalf comply with fair employment law - in particular and do not commit any act of discrimination rendered unlawful by the Sex Discrimination Act 1975, the Race Relations Act 1976 or the Disability Discrimination Act 1995.
Fair Employment Practice Case Study: Agricultural Staff
The Agricultural Staff Group in the Executive runs a regular induction course for all new staff. During the three days, they have guest speakers covering HR, Welfare, Health & Safety and the Trade Unions (Prospect and PCS). Trade Unions have been invited to this training activity since 2000.
With staff in offices throughout the country from Lerwick to Dumfries, the group has to address a wide range of staffing issues and needs. As a result they are supporting many HR initiatives to ensure work/life balance is addressed as well as needs of the staff moving around the country. Examples include; New Deal Programme; flexible working; staff preferences for timing and location of staff moves; seeking to accommodate requests to work part time as well as home working; a retention allowance for B1 grade; a Distant Islands Allowances for staff in Northern and Western Isles in recognition of additional cost of living expense; Area Offices can open later one day per week to allow for staff training etc.
A large number of officers work outside with farmers and crofters. They are made aware of the health & safety issues associated with farm contact and have a network of Health & Safety Liaison Officers. A Health and Safety Policy Statement gives staff access to the many risk assessments required to cover their varied duties. Risk assessments under the Control of Substances Hazardous to Health (COSHH) were first prepared in 1990. H&S is covered in the induction pack and the residential induction course for all new starts. In addition there are procedures to ensure that correct procedures are followed by all new entrants and their line managers.
Fair Employment Practice Case Study: European Structural Funds
Equal opportunities are integrated into the operation of the Structural Funds. The principle of equal opportunities has been mainstreamed into all five Structural Funds programmes in Scotland and applicants are required to consider equal opportunities at every stage in the design, delivery and monitoring of a project. To ensure that this is carried out, applications are partly assessed on the criteria of equal opportunities and their progress in mainstreaming tracked through project monitoring visits. In addition, considerable support has been given to applicants on equal opportunities issues through funding of an Equal Opportunities Structural Funds Advisor and a Good Practice Guide for Equal Opportunities was published in April 2004.
Funding exists to support positive action projects in this area. In particular, EQUAL Community Initiative has c.20 million available in Scotland to support pilot projects in improving access of all groups to the labour market and training opportunities. Similarly, there is funding for addressing gender imbalance issues within Priority 5 of the Objective 3 Programme in Scotland.
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