Chamber
Meeting of the Parliament 12 March 2019
12 Mar 2019 · S5 · Meeting of the Parliament
Item of business
Fair Work
I am pleased to be called to speak in this afternoon’s debate on the important subject of fair work and, more specifically, on the Scottish Government’s recently published “Fair Work Action Plan”.
As we have heard, the plan sets forth a number of key action points that must be implemented to ensure that the goal of Scotland being a fair work nation by 2025 is achieved. Quite rightly, the plan envisages close collaboration with employers, employees and trade unions, all of whose input and collaboration will be vital in ensuring that Scotland becomes a fair work nation.
The genesis of that ambition can be seen in the Scottish Government’s establishment of the fair work convention back in April 2015. The convention is independent of Government, to which it acts as an advisory body. It is co-chaired by Professor Patricia Findlay and the general secretary of the Scottish Trades Union Congress, Grahame Smith.
The convention has already done a power of work in pushing forward the fair work agenda. It published its fair work framework in 2016, in which it set forth its vision that, by 2025, people in Scotland would have a world-leading working life, where fair work would drive success, ensure wellbeing and prosperity for individual workers and benefit employers and organisations—and, indeed, society as a whole.
In the same item of business
The Presiding Officer (Ken Macintosh)
NPA
The next item of business is a debate on motion S5M-16257, in the name of Jamie Hepburn, on working to make Scotland a fair work nation by 2025. I encourage ...
The Minister for Business, Fair Work and Skills (Jamie Hepburn)
SNP
Almost a year ago, the Parliament was able to affirm, by backing a motion in my name, its support for the independent fair work convention’s ambition to make...
Willie Rennie (North East Fife) (LD)
LD
I agree with all of the minister’s ambitions on this subject, but can he tell us why progress to get businesses to sign up to the business pledge has been so...
Jamie Hepburn
SNP
I recognise that not enough businesses have signed up to the business pledge, which is why we have committed to refreshing it. I will come to that later, bec...
Neil Findlay (Lothian) (Lab)
Lab
I welcome what the minister has said, but why did the Government reject such proposals when they were put forward by Labour during the progress of the Procur...
Jamie Hepburn
SNP
I find that an extraordinary intervention from a party whose leader just this weekend said that he now supports the devolution of employment law to the Scott...
Jamie Halcro Johnston (Highlands and Islands) (Con)
Con
People should be treated fairly in the workplace. Our laws recognise that, in taking up a job, employees have certain rights that are inalienable and which c...
Neil Findlay
Lab
Mr Halcro Johnston talks about disabled people’s rights. Will he reflect on his Government’s treatment of disabled people, particularly through the benefits ...
Jamie Halcro Johnston
Con
As the member knows, there are more disabled people working now than there were before. When we have such conversations, the same questions come from Labour ...
The Deputy Presiding Officer (Linda Fabiani)
SNP
Please draw to a close.
Jamie Halcro Johnston
Con
It is often in that sector that we have seen the slowest response to change, given the increased pressures. I am sure that encouraging fairness at work will...
Richard Leonard (Central Scotland) (Lab)
Lab
I remind members of my entry in the register of members’ interests. I commend the Scottish Government on its recent agreement with the three civil service un...
Michelle Ballantyne (South Scotland) (Con)
Con
Does the member agree that the fact that a business has not signed up to the pledge does not mean that it is not enacting its contents?
Richard Leonard
Lab
Yes, but getting businesses to sign up to the pledge is a specific Government goal, and the fact that only half a percentage point have done so is, in my vie...
Jamie Hepburn
SNP
As much as I am thoroughly enjoying Richard Leonard’s dissemination of all the woes and strife that exist in Scotland right now, each and every party in this...
Richard Leonard
Lab
I hope that my remarks are a contribution to the discussion about how we progress this issue. In truth, the landscape of public procurement under the SNP’s w...
Alison Johnstone (Lothian) (Green)
Green
The Fraser of Allander institute defines fair work as “work that offers effective voice, opportunity, security, fulfilment and respect.” Those benefits und...
Jamie Halcro Johnston
Con
Will the member take an intervention?
The Deputy Presiding Officer
SNP
Ms Johnstone is closing.
Alison Johnstone
Green
I have 20 seconds left. The scam living wage is significantly below the real living wage and applies only to older workers, thus increasing exploitation of ...
Willie Rennie (North East Fife) (LD)
LD
I find it difficult to concentrate on the debate this afternoon, while the UK Parliament is utterly paralysed, the Prime Minister’s deal is clearly stone dea...
Neil Findlay
Lab
I understand that Willie Rennie’s thoughts are elsewhere. Would not it be great if the people of the UK had a say in a general election, with a Labour Govern...
Willie Rennie
LD
I commend Neil Findlay for his cheek in that intervention. We support the general aims of the Scottish Government’s fair work agenda. Who can be against gre...
Jamie Hepburn
SNP
I want to provide absolute clarity. We are talking about the beginning of the rolling out of the fair work first principles, not a pilot. We have said that w...
Willie Rennie
LD
I stand corrected; I thought that the minister had referred to a pilot. He still did not say, however, how many businesses will be covered in the first insta...
The Deputy Presiding Officer
SNP
We move to the open debate. Speeches should be of absolutely no more than six minutes, because we have very little time in hand. 15:23
Annabelle Ewing (Cowdenbeath) (SNP)
SNP
I am pleased to be called to speak in this afternoon’s debate on the important subject of fair work and, more specifically, on the Scottish Government’s rece...
James Kelly (Glasgow) (Lab)
Lab
On the aspiration to be a fair work nation, how does Annabelle Ewing feel about the prospect of achieving the Scottish Government’s target of 30,000 more peo...
Annabelle Ewing
SNP
If the Labour Party had not blocked the devolution of employment powers to this Parliament, the workers who lost out as a direct result of that intransigence...
The Deputy Presiding Officer
SNP
Excuse me, Ms Ewing. I say to members that it is very rude to have cross-bench conversations when someone is speaking.