1. INTRODUCTION
The Equal Pay Act prohibits discrimination against women and men in relation to pay. Although the gender pay gap has narrowed, the Equal Pay Task Force report "Just Pay", published in January 2001, showed that there continues to be a gender pay gap across all sectors of the workforce, including the public sector.
In response to "Just Pay" the Government committed Departments and Agencies to review their pay systems and then address any equal pay gaps. The deadline for completing this exercise and preparing any necessary action plans is April 2003.
The Scottish Executive is an equal opportunities employer. We are committed to ensuring equal opportunity for employment and advancement and to eliminating the impact of discrimination, either direct or indirect, in all its forms. This equal pay review complements this policy and sits well with the Executive's Aim, Vision and Values.
SCOTTISH EXECUTIVE AIM, VISION AND VALUES
AIM
To work with Scottish Ministers to improve the well being of Scotland and its people.
VISION
Our vision is of an organisation which:
- earns respect and trust
- promotes Scottish interests
- is open and in touch
- works together
- works with and learns from others
- ensures high quality services
- makes best use of resources
- values its people
VALUES
As Civil Servants our values are:
- integrity and honesty
- objectivity
- political impartiality
- fairness
The findings of the review and the action plan are described in the following pages. The review concentrated in the main on gender pay differences.
We believe that the findings of this report and the associated action plan for future work demonstrates clearly that the Scottish Executive is committed to equality of treatment. This is important if we are to retain the confidence of our staff and convince potential new recruits that we are an employer of choice. We also recognise that the Scottish Executive is looked upon to set standards in Scottish life. We hope, therefore, that all employers in Scotland, both in the public and private sector, follow our example and commit themselves to eliminating all discriminatory pay gaps.