Meeting of the Parliament 20 May 2015
I thank the member for his intervention. We will have an opportunity tomorrow to debate the full devolution package. I will also be speaking then, and I look forward to engaging with him on the substance of that issue.
Our economy needs to be rebalanced so that, when we talk about the number of jobs that have been created in our country, we are not simply counting temporary, low-paid, zero-hours contract jobs. We know that much of the vaunted recent rise in the employment figures is almost entirely down to an increase in part-time, low-paid, temporary jobs.
Just this week, we saw the BBC reveal that only 10 of Scotland’s 50 largest employers pay the living wage. Last week, a major employer, which is perhaps renowned for offering low-paid jobs and low-security work, saw the value of its shares rocket when the Tories secured their majority.
This Parliament is not a place to sit on our hands and moan about the United Kingdom Tory Government, although I confess that there will be lots of scope for that because there will be areas where we fundamentally disagree with it. The SNP promise in the general election was about securing a stronger voice for Scotland at Westminster. Our mantra here is surely about securing a stronger voice for fairness and social justice for the people of Scotland in this Parliament.
Scotland could have led the way in promoting better pay and banning exploitative zero-hours contracts through the Procurement Reform (Scotland) Bill, which was passed just last year. Unfortunately, as we all know, the SNP members joined with the Conservatives to vote against Scottish Labour plans for better pay and security of hours for workers, cleaners, carers and retail staff. They voted against those plans not just once but five times. The Scottish Government should use the power that it already has.
I have heard the Scottish Government demand the devolution of job-creating powers to this Parliament. I support our having a powerhouse Parliament that is able to tackle inequality and pursue social justice, but many of the powers that we need for economic development are already with this Parliament.