Falkirk Council: Councillor says women should not be given 'preferential treatment' for Freeport jobs

Councillor James Bundy, the economic development spokesperson for the Falkirk Conservatives, welcomed the opportunities provided by the Forth Green Freeport at a meeting of Falkirk Council’s executive this week.

The project is expected to bring over 50,000 jobs – including 20,000 from operations in Grangemouth – that will help industry transition from a reliance on fossil fuels to green energy. While trade unions have raised concerns about workers’ conditions in a deregulated zone, those behind the project say the jobs will be “quality, well-paying and sustainable”.

The report says that analysis shows that the jobs created will significantly higher than the median wage of the regions involved – 23 per cent higher in Falkirk. To help locals make the most of the opportunities, there will be a dedicated skills fund for local people to gain the skills to access them.

But Councillor Bundy said he had concerns that “access to funding for skills bursaries will be prioritised for women through preferential scoring in applications”. And he suggested that this was the wrong way to approach the issue, insisting hard working men “should not be discriminated against”.

In his speech, Cllr Bundy said: “The creation of opportunities for skills development and local employment should be open to everyone. I am deeply concerned, therefore, that in section eight of the report, the equalities section, it says, and I quote, ‘access to funding for skills bursaries will be prioritised for women through preferential scoring in applications’. This is not equality. It is for another speech, but the true approach to equality is to make changes in our education system that gives everyone, man or woman, an equal opportunity to participate in STEM subjects. It is not to give women preference in access to funding for skills bursaries. Men who have worked hard and earned their qualifications should not be discriminated against. The best person for the job should be offered the job.”

However, a report looking at the risks associated with the Freeport model has found that without action, “the direct jobs created by FGFP levers would likely create disproportionately more jobs for male employees (77 per cent). It will also create disproportionately fewer jobs for youth (eight per cent), and people with disabilities (12 per cent).

Efforts to address this include a commitments to schools’ outreach, apprenticeships, scholarships, and bursaries. Disability-inclusive hiring practices will also be encouraged, along with prioritising funding for skills bursaries for women.

In response to Councillor Bundy’s comments, the SNP said encouraging more women and girls into science was vital in traditionally male-dominated industries.

An SNP spokesperson said: “It is disappointing that such an important and positive aspect of the successful Forth Green Freeport bid was characterised in this way, especially so soon after the UN’s International Women and Girls in Science Day. Traditionally male-dominated industries, and society in general, continues to fail women and girls and it is right that this historic imbalance, as well as bias, unintentional or otherwise is addressed.

“The Forth Green Freeport is an opportunity for everyone in the Falkirk Council area to benefit from sustainable investment, future employment in green industries, and opportunity in innovation. We should be doing anything we can to encourage more women and girls to enter and lead in these industries and I would hope that this is an ambition supported by everyone at the table.”