NICOLA Sturgeon announced a new strategy to tackle the gender pay gap in Scotland during a speech on International Women’s Day.

Speaking to businesswomen at the City Chambers in Edinburgh, the First Minister announced the Scottish Government’s Gender Pay Gap Action Plan, pledging “a whole range of ways in which we will tackle the causes of the gender pay gap – in our education system, in workplaces and across society”.

The policy outlines more than 50 steps to reduce the disparity between men and women, including £5 million of funding over three years for a programme providing advice, training and placements for women who want to return to work after a career break.

The event was organised by Business Gateway Edinburgh. Sturgeon also launched the Government’s first Women in Business (WIB) Growth Programme.