Fair and decent work in Scotland’s local authorities: evidence and challenges

IMPACT

The effects of work intensification and the cumulative and ongoing impacts of austerity on services have shaped the quality of working lives of the staff and managers in local authorities. This applies from those in low-paid roles through to higher-paid professionals. This study describes the quality of work in one context, Scottish local authorities, and explores how the management of that presents opportunities and challenges to the sector. The detail of this study is locally grounded, the opportunities and challenges analysis have application internationally.

ABSTRACT

Scottish local authorities (SLAs) are a major employer expected to provide Fair and Decent Work (FDW). The evidence and challenges of FDW in this sector are mapped drawing on semi-structured interviews with human resource (HR) and organization development (OD) personnel. Many SLAs claim to be, and some seem to be, leading in FDW, yet others are reluctant to commit beyond meeting statutory obligations. The delivery of FDW in SLAs matters to managers and more broadly, as SLAs influence FDW more widely, individually in their local and collectively in their national contexts.

KEYWORDS:

• Employment
• fair and decent work
• human resources
• work quality

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).