A Fair Work Hospitality Charter is recommended as the hospitality inquiry concludes Achi-News

They include paying the real living wage, promoting real living hours, providing all employees with written contracts, advice policies that are clear, fair and in line with legislation, access to paid training and development and supporting employees to understand their rights and rights at work.

The inquiry offered a rare opportunity for employers, employees and unions to all be at the same table and share their views on the best way to solve problems for the hospitality sector in Scotland.

The group considered the experiences of employers and employees in terms of fair work and carried out additional research on how best to support and influence working practices in a sector such as hospitality.

Some of the difficulties raised in the inquiry included low pay, with hospitality offering the lowest median pay of all sectors in Scotland in 2023, increasing use of precarious contracts, accident rate as well as bullying and harassment and a lack of training.

The benefits of hospitality were also raised with the proportion of workers earning more than the Real Living Wage rising by over 50% while it also offers a more diverse workforce compared to other sectors in Scotland.

It has now made their recommendations which also include some for the Scottish Government and the role they can play in adopting fair work practices.

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That includes providing resources that build capacity in the industry such as dedicated fair work co-ordinators, specific fair work accredited training and funding pilot projects for a new way of working.

They have also called on the Scottish Government to improve funding to support disabled workers and to increase health and safety inspections.

The report also calls on the THILG to create a dedicated rurality sub-group to address a range of notable issues facing hospitality businesses in rural areas.

Linda Johnston, Co-Chair of the Inquiry, said: “While it is certainly a challenging time for hospitality businesses, there is still room for progress, and a focus on improving fair work supports better outcomes for workers and employers in the industry.

“This report to the Scottish hospitality sector shows that when industry leaders work together, real, meaningful change is possible, learning from the good practice that already exists in many businesses. The recommendations are a solid basis to ensure that fair work is at the heart of the hospitality industry moving forward.”

Support will also be available for hospitality employers to create a network of senior managers to act as Fair Work Champions and elect ‘Effective Voice Champions’ from among their workforces.

It is hoped that this will support the development of innovative workplace solutions to fair work challenges and facilitate the sharing of good fair work practice across the industry.

Employment Minister Tom Arthur has promised that the Scottish Government will continue to work alongside the convention but says they will take their time to respond after carefully considering the recommendations.

He said: “The Scottish Government recognizes the importance of the Fair Work Hospitality Inquiry and will consider its recommendations before identifying a response in due course.

“The Inquiry has raised awareness of fair work and started to build industry-wide commitment to it.

“We will continue to work with the Convention and the hospitality sector in their efforts to ensure that workers and businesses benefit from fair work while supporting our vibrant, world-class industry.”

Co-Chair of the Inquiry, Satnam Ner, added: “One of the successes of the Fair Work Hospitality Inquiry was to bring together employers, employees and unions to encourage a culture of open communication, leadership support and staff empowerment.

“Achieving our recommendations will lead to a meaningful improvement in the working lives of everyone in the hospitality industry.’

Co-Chairs of the Fair Work Convention, Patricia Findlay and Mary Alexander, noted: “Once again, we see the benefits of the Convention’s Inquiry process in terms of mobilizing key stakeholders, assessing and building on existing evidence, identifying key challenges and building consensus on next steps. .

“We are grateful to the Inquiry Chairs and members for their time, sharing expertise and constructive engagement, and we are sure they will all continue to promote fair work in hospitality in Scotland.”