‘World Class Heritage, Second Class Pay’

Following a drop-in session hosted by Prospect at the Scottish Parliament about their ‘World Class Heritage on Second Class Pay’ campaign on Friday, Foysol Choudhury MSP said: “As Labour’s Spokesperson for Culture, it was great to sponsor ‘The Perfect Storm: A Crisis in Heritage’ drop-in event organised by Prospect regarding its ‘World Class Heritage, Second Class Pay’ campaign. 

“Scotland’s Heritage sites are well loved by international visitors and locals alike and they benefit our economy greatly. 

“We all know that the culture sector has been hit hard in this cost-of-living crisis and has received little attention from the Scottish Government. 

“I have raised awareness of this before, for example, with the closure of Edinburgh Filmhouse, which I hope will be restored in the future. 

“However, Scotland and the UK cannot afford losing yet again more of its unique culture. 

“It is indeed a perfect storm where our World Class Heritage and its workforce in Scotland and across the UK have long been devalued and are now in jeopardy due to the cost-of-living crisis. 

“Our new generation of potential conservationists, archaeologists, curators and other specialists are also suffering; new trainees cannot even afford their rents.  

“Better pay will mean that our young people can aspire to have a stable career in Heritage. 

“It is time to fully recognise how our important Heritage workforce contributes to our local communities, our nations and across the world. 

“The matter of funding of Heritage sites is something that I have brought to the Scottish Government’s attention before, when I spoke about Historic Environment Scotland in the chamber.  

“I will work to pressure the Scottish Government to secure a better deal for our Heritage workers and preserve our fantastic Heritage sector.”