Theme A | Theme B | Theme C | Theme D | Theme E |Theme F | Theme H 

Theme H - Close the Gap

Objectives
The Close the Gap DP will work towards addressing the gender pay gap in employment opportunities and impact positively on job desegregation mainly by developing cross-sectoral action which will contribute to raise the awareness among both employers and employees.

Target Group
DP recognised that to have a real impact in the national policy it must engage with two target groups: those with responsability and power to address the issue and those who are directly affected by it.

 Mainstreaming Outcomes

The Close the Gap project is continuing beyond the end of the Equal funding. Many of the activities delivered during the lifetime of the project were time-limited, like the “What Century Is This?” media campaign, and these will not necessarily be repeated. However, the tools for employers, workers, and trade union reps developed during the lifetime of the project will continue to be used.

The STUC will be housing all staff, partly as a response to difficulties in having staff across two sites, and partly because the Equal Opportunities Commission will cease to exist in 2007, and will be replaced by the new Commission for Equality and Human Rights.

Partners for the second phase of the project are Scottish Executive, Scottish Trades Union Congress, Scottish Enterprise, and Equal Opportunities Commission. The steering group is proactively seeking additional partners, and it is hoped that Highlands and Islands Enterprise will be able to rejoin the steering group in coming months.

Partners who are no longer able to continue with their commitment to the project will continue to use material developed in their own work. This includes UHI, who will continue to offer the undergraduate and postgraduate modules around women and work.

Fair Play will cease to exist on March 31^st, 2006, but work they have done for Close the Gap in developing materials and presentation will be handed over to project staff.

The project, in its second phase, will continue to work with trades union and SMEs, but will have as particular focuses large private finance sector organisations, and staff within the FE and HE sector. It will continue to do demand-led awareness raising, and will use materials developed during the first phase of the project.

Some of the main outcomes and activities carried out during the 1st Round of Equal include:

Equal Opportunities Commission

Lead on the Close the Gap awareness-raising campaign, the first outdoor advertising campaign on the pay gap in Scotland.

Lead on the development of “Different, But Equal”, a guide to job comparison for equal pay for smaller enterprises.

Lead on the development of the “Fair Pay, Equal Pay” CD-ROM, a guide to equal pay reviews for smaller enterprises.

Scottish Trades Union Congress

Trained over 100 workplace equal pay reps.

Developed “Bargaining for Equal Pay” a toolkit for trade union reps.

Delivered Workshops at the STUC Women’s Conference, Black Workers’ Conference, and STUC Congress.

Fair Play Scotland

Delivered awareness raising and training to Scottish Enterprise employees.

Significantly contributed to “Different, But Equal”, a guide to job comparison for equal pay for smaller enterprises.

Scottish Enterprise

Developed and produced case studies of pay reviews that had been carried out by a range of large public and private sector organisations.

Lead on production of online training course for Scottish Enterprise employees around equal pay.

Supported training of Business Gateway and Careers Service staff on equal pay issues.

UHI Millennium Institute

Produced three undergraduate and postgraduate modules around women in the workplace.

Developed and produced CD-ROM around women into science.

Highlands and Islands Enterprise

Carried out research into the gender pay gap in the Highlands.

Supported advertising of the Alan+ project to get men into childcare.

For more information please contact Emma Ritch
Tel: 0141 245 1838
e-mail eritch@stuc.org.uk
or visit: www.closethegap.org.uk