AN INDEPENDENT report into working conditions in culture and the arts is a “game-changer” for exploited workers in the sector, the Scottish TUC said today.

Chaired by social entrepreneur and author Briana Pegado, the Independent Culture Fair Work Task Force Report recommended the creation of an “adjudication mechanism” to handle disputes between workers and employers, greater safeguards against theft of work through AI, and a role for Scottish government agency Creative Scotland in ensuring fair work practices are followed in the sector through a new fund.

The report comes after an STUC study found 69 per cent of creative arts workers had experienced late wages, a third had gone unpaid for freelance work, and a staggering 53 per cent had experienced or witnessed bullying or sexual harassment.

STUC general secretary Roz Foyer said: “If enacted correctly, this report could be a game changer for Scotland’s creative and freelance workers. 

“Creative unions have driven the recommendations of this report. 

“Workers in their thousands have demanded change and we shouldn’t be shy in highlighting their wins.

“If Fair Work is to succeed, then it needs funding. 

“The genie is out the bottle. Scottish government ministers, as we approach the election, should be cognisant of their responsibilities to Scotland’s creative workers now that this report makes clear the tribulations they face just trying to earn a living.”

SNP culture secretary Angus Robertson said: “I will take time to carefully consider the detail of the recommendations for Scottish government and will update Parliament in due course on the actions we will take in response. 

“Given that some would intersect with reserved legislation, I will also be writing urgently to ask my UK government counterparts to consider what actions they can take.”