The Independent Culture Fair Work Taskforce has published a major report outlining 16 recommendations to improve working conditions across Scotland’s creative and cultural industries. The Taskforce was established in response to concerns around precarious freelance work, unpaid internships, unequal access to opportunity and significant variation in fair pay across the sector.
Chaired by Briana Pegado, with members representing Scotland’s music sector including Robert Kilpatrick (our CEO and Creative Director) and Caroline Sewell (Musicians’ Union), the group engaged widely with unions, arts organisations, industry bodies, enterprise agencies, local authorities, historic and museum bodies, creative networks and freelancers. Creative Scotland also contributed through its representation on the Taskforce.
Reflecting on the process, Chair Briana Pegado said:
“There has been a real commitment to crafting a set of recommendations that speak to areas as broad as fair pay and remuneration to the impact of AI on the cultural sector workforce. Considerations of equity and inclusion, as well as how fair work may be enforced, are all part of our recommendations.”
She also stressed the need for long-term implementation:
“The process of implementing fair work never ends, as policies, approaches and conditions change. This is why a large part of this work and these recommendations are dependent on a Culture Fair Work Delivery Group and a Disputes Resolution Board.”
Her comments underline the breadth of issues the Taskforce considered and the scale of change required across the sector.
Why the Culture Fair Work Taskforce Matters for Scotland’s Creative Industries
Freelancers make up a large proportion of Scotland’s creative workforce, yet often lack basic protections. Many early-career workers still rely on unpaid or low-paid internships, and working standards vary widely between organisations, regions and sub-sectors. This uneven landscape shapes everything from retention to wellbeing to career progression.
The Taskforce was created to understand these issues across the full breadth of the sector and to set out what a realistic baseline for Fair Work should look like. Its recommendations aim to support workers whether they are employed, self-employed, part-time, volunteering or entering the sector for the first time.
Key Recommendations From The Report
The Taskforce’s 16 recommendations include proposals to:
- Establish a disputes and adjudication mechanism for handling workplace issues.
- Strengthen the safeguarding of creatives’ work in relation to AI use and potential misappropriation.
- Increase Creative Scotland’s role in supporting and monitoring Fair Work delivery.
- Develop a Culture Fair Work Charter to set sector-wide expectations.
- Explore conditionality across public and private cultural funding to ensure Fair Work standards are upheld.
- Create a Fair Work Fund to support organisations implementing improved practices.
- Improve Scotland-specific workforce data to address longstanding evidence gaps, particularly around freelancers.
- Address the use of unpaid internships and strengthen routes into the sector through paid placements, apprenticeships and fair volunteer practice.
The full report and accompanying documents are available to read here.
Government Response To The Report
Culture Secretary Angus Robertson welcomed publication of the independent report and confirmed that the recommendations will be reviewed in detail. He will provide an update to the Scottish Parliament in due course. Some recommendations involve reserved matters, and the Cabinet Secretary will write to UK Government counterparts on areas requiring Westminster action.
As the report is independent, Scottish Ministers have not yet taken a formal position on the recommendations.
How the Taskforce Was Established
The Taskforce was established in 2024 following the 2022 Culture Radar Review of Fair Work and commitments outlined in the Culture Strategy Action Plan (2023). Its work also aligns with the Independent Review of Creative Scotland published in November 2025, which highlighted Fair Work as an area requiring strengthened monitoring across funded organisations.
Find Out More
You can read the full Independent Culture Fair Work Task Force Report and Recommendations and supporting documents on the Scottish Government website.
As the sector considers these recommendations, the SMIA will continue to highlight key developments and share resources that support fair and sustainable working practices across Scotland’s music industry.