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STUC and Fellow Unions Launch Fair Work Survey for Creative Industries

In anticipation of the Scottish Government's commitment to becoming a Fair Work Nation by 2025, the STUC and its creative unions have created a survey to help campaign for fair work across the creative industries.

Published: 14 March 2025 | 11:51 AM
A music producer in a studio.
The creative sector is undoubtedly one of the most precarious, with high levels of self-employment and freelance workers and insecure project-to-project work. Image credit: Shutterstock.

As some may be aware, the Scottish Government is committed to becoming a Fair Work Nation by the end of 2025, and has set out an action plan to promote fair and inclusive workplaces across the country.

The Musician’s Union, together with fellow creative unions, has been working to ensure that the Fair Work agenda adequately covers musicians and other creative workers.

Creative workers urgently need the benefits of a Fair Work plan

The creative sector is undoubtedly one of the most precarious, with high levels of self-employment and freelance workers and insecure project-to-project work.

This existence outwith traditional employment structures also means that creative workers are more susceptible to exploitative practice and harassment, including sexual harassment.

The creative sector needs the benefits which can be delivered by Fair Work as a matter of urgency.

Take the survey

The STUC and its creative unions – the MU, Equity, Bectu/Prospect, the Scottish Artists Union, the National Union of Journalists, the Society of Authors, the Scottish Society of Playwrights, and the Writers Guild have created a survey to collect the experiences of workers in the creative industries.

We aim to use the results to create a Fair Work Charter and campaign for Fair Work across the creative industries.

Our campaigning will be strengthened if you are able to highlight your personal stories, so please provide information in the comment boxes where you can.

The survey takes around 5-10 minutes to complete, and the deadline to complete it is Friday 11 April 2025.

Take the survey

Share the survey 

We encourage members to circulate the survey within their communities to ensure it reaches as many workers in the creative industries as possible.

You can also share the survey on social media with the hashtag #FairWorkForCulture. 

Join the MU's work for equality in music

Be sure your voice is heard - and help make the music industry a better place for every musician. At the MU we stand for equal opportunities and inclusion for musicians, and aim for the industry to be more diverse and representative.

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Learn what we do to make the industry inclusive and diverse, and how you can get involved in making a change.

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