Today on Employability Day, when we are celebrating the successes of the sector in keeping long-term unemployment down, making strides to close the disability employment gap, and providing vital support to millions of people to overcome their barriers to work, our CEO, Ally Calder, reflects on a recent workshop held by the Scottish Parliament’s Social Justice and Social Security Committee – Third Sector Funding Principles. An appalled MSP on my table asked the question, ‘why do the third sector not strike?’ after a round of laughter from those present, he asked again ‘junior doctors and teachers strike, seriously, why don’t the third sector strike for better terms and conditions’. The discussion that led to the question highlighted that funding to charities assumes that we have deep pockets and can cover local and national government cuts on spending and poor funding principles. The list of poor funding principles shared was lengthy, but key points were: Increased delays in national government funding decisions, leading to delays in local government decisions, with the third sector filling the financial gaps between contracts to ensure vital services are available. Local government paying agreed contracts 6 months in arrears of spend, when charity guidance is to […]