Chamber
Plenary, 21 Mar 2002
21 Mar 2002 · S1 · Plenary
Item of business
Scottish Parliament Salaries and Allowances
I am sure that I was not the only member who received a Christmas card from the Lanarkshire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust branch of Unison. That Christmas card had a poignant message. It said:
"Low pay is not just for Christmas—it affects us all year!"
It was signed
"On behalf of: all the forgotten, ignored and low paid NHS ancillary staff",
most of whom are essential public service workers in our hospitals and none of whom was involved in the so-called independent Senior Salaries Review Board—neither, of course, were any of the 200,000 poor pensioners or lone parents in Scotland.
"Low pay is not just for Christmas",
says the card, which points out that the minimum wage in our country is £4.10 an hour. The basic ancillary wage in hospitals in Scotland is £4.34 an hour.
My amendment would set new standards for politics and politicians in Scotland. It is absolutely right that politicians should be paid a decent wage and that we should not leave politics only to the wealthy. However, in setting wages for ourselves, we should base them on the reality of life for a large number of people in Scotland rather than on the wages of the tiny minority who receive similar wages to ours.
I thank the Scottish Parliament information centre for carrying out research for me for the debate. The research shows that 882,000 Scots exist on an income of less than £10,000 a year, that 1.8 million Scots exist on an income of less than £20,000 a year and that the average gross annual wage of full-time employees in Scotland is £21,110 a year. If professional occupations, associate professional and technical occupations and craft and related occupations are combined, an average skilled wage of £25,000 a year is reached. That is a decent wage. There is no need for a sackcloth or Jesus-sandals existence on £25,000 a year. Some 75 per cent of Scots earn less than that wage and 95 per cent of Scots earn less than MSPs' current wage. The poll that was conducted by "Scotland Today" and to which Shona Robison referred was not scientific. However, it is worth making the point that, of 4,779 calls, 71 people believed that MSPs deserved the proposed wage rise and 4,708 said that they did not—that is a majority of 99 per cent against the rise.
That we are already overpaid is bad enough, but to recommend a 13.5 per cent wage increase is an insult to public service workers who have been asked to accept a 3 per cent increase and to tighten their belts. It is an insult to those pensioners who are struggling to survive and were asked to accept an extra £5, as well as to that army of carers throughout Scotland who have been asked to accept an extra 70p.
It is time that we set politicians' wages at the average wage of skilled workers in Scotland. That would exert intolerable pressure on the even more grossly overpaid MPs in Westminster to bring salaries into line with ordinary men and women, whom we are supposed to represent. I ask members to support my amendment and to vote to raise the level of respect for MSPs rather than the level of salaries for MSPs.
I move amendment S1M-2912.2, to leave out from first "; and" to end and insert:
"subject to the Scheme being amended as follows: in paragraph 1(1) leave out ‘any index of prices or earnings' and insert ‘Retail Price Index', in paragraph 2(1) leave out ‘£48,228' and insert ‘£25,000'; in paragraph 3(1)(a) leave out ‘£36,240' and insert ‘£10,000'; in paragraph 3(1)(b) leave out ‘£22,699' and insert ‘£7,000'; in paragraph 5 leave out from ‘as specified' to end and insert ‘by applying the percentage increase in the index'; in paragraph 7(1) leave out from ‘determine' to end and insert ‘recommend to the Parliament the salaries payable, and it shall be for the Parliament to approve, amend or reject any or all of the salaries recommended' ; leave out paragraphs 7(2) to 7(6), and in the Schedule leave out ‘£69,861' and insert ‘£15,000', leave out ‘£47,349' and insert ‘£15,000', leave out ‘£34,237' and insert ‘£15,000', leave out ‘£36,240' and insert ‘£10,000' and leave out ‘£22,699' and insert ‘£7,000'; and
(b) does not approve the Scottish Parliament Party Leaders' Allowances Scheme (SP Paper 555); and
(c) directs the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body to pay on and after 1 April 2002 the salaries stated in the Scottish Parliamentary Salaries Scheme."
"Low pay is not just for Christmas—it affects us all year!"
It was signed
"On behalf of: all the forgotten, ignored and low paid NHS ancillary staff",
most of whom are essential public service workers in our hospitals and none of whom was involved in the so-called independent Senior Salaries Review Board—neither, of course, were any of the 200,000 poor pensioners or lone parents in Scotland.
"Low pay is not just for Christmas",
says the card, which points out that the minimum wage in our country is £4.10 an hour. The basic ancillary wage in hospitals in Scotland is £4.34 an hour.
My amendment would set new standards for politics and politicians in Scotland. It is absolutely right that politicians should be paid a decent wage and that we should not leave politics only to the wealthy. However, in setting wages for ourselves, we should base them on the reality of life for a large number of people in Scotland rather than on the wages of the tiny minority who receive similar wages to ours.
I thank the Scottish Parliament information centre for carrying out research for me for the debate. The research shows that 882,000 Scots exist on an income of less than £10,000 a year, that 1.8 million Scots exist on an income of less than £20,000 a year and that the average gross annual wage of full-time employees in Scotland is £21,110 a year. If professional occupations, associate professional and technical occupations and craft and related occupations are combined, an average skilled wage of £25,000 a year is reached. That is a decent wage. There is no need for a sackcloth or Jesus-sandals existence on £25,000 a year. Some 75 per cent of Scots earn less than that wage and 95 per cent of Scots earn less than MSPs' current wage. The poll that was conducted by "Scotland Today" and to which Shona Robison referred was not scientific. However, it is worth making the point that, of 4,779 calls, 71 people believed that MSPs deserved the proposed wage rise and 4,708 said that they did not—that is a majority of 99 per cent against the rise.
That we are already overpaid is bad enough, but to recommend a 13.5 per cent wage increase is an insult to public service workers who have been asked to accept a 3 per cent increase and to tighten their belts. It is an insult to those pensioners who are struggling to survive and were asked to accept an extra £5, as well as to that army of carers throughout Scotland who have been asked to accept an extra 70p.
It is time that we set politicians' wages at the average wage of skilled workers in Scotland. That would exert intolerable pressure on the even more grossly overpaid MPs in Westminster to bring salaries into line with ordinary men and women, whom we are supposed to represent. I ask members to support my amendment and to vote to raise the level of respect for MSPs rather than the level of salaries for MSPs.
I move amendment S1M-2912.2, to leave out from first "; and" to end and insert:
"subject to the Scheme being amended as follows: in paragraph 1(1) leave out ‘any index of prices or earnings' and insert ‘Retail Price Index', in paragraph 2(1) leave out ‘£48,228' and insert ‘£25,000'; in paragraph 3(1)(a) leave out ‘£36,240' and insert ‘£10,000'; in paragraph 3(1)(b) leave out ‘£22,699' and insert ‘£7,000'; in paragraph 5 leave out from ‘as specified' to end and insert ‘by applying the percentage increase in the index'; in paragraph 7(1) leave out from ‘determine' to end and insert ‘recommend to the Parliament the salaries payable, and it shall be for the Parliament to approve, amend or reject any or all of the salaries recommended' ; leave out paragraphs 7(2) to 7(6), and in the Schedule leave out ‘£69,861' and insert ‘£15,000', leave out ‘£47,349' and insert ‘£15,000', leave out ‘£34,237' and insert ‘£15,000', leave out ‘£36,240' and insert ‘£10,000' and leave out ‘£22,699' and insert ‘£7,000'; and
(b) does not approve the Scottish Parliament Party Leaders' Allowances Scheme (SP Paper 555); and
(c) directs the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body to pay on and after 1 April 2002 the salaries stated in the Scottish Parliamentary Salaries Scheme."
In the same item of business
The Deputy Presiding Officer (Mr Murray Tosh):
Con
The next item of business is a debate on motion S1M-2919, in the name of John Young, on the Scottish Parliament salaries scheme and the Scottish parliamentar...
John Young (West of Scotland) (Con):
Con
At the outset, I make it clear that I speak on behalf of the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body, not on behalf of the Conservative group or any other poli...
The Deputy Presiding Officer:
Con
You should simply move the motion, Mr Young.
John Young:
Con
I will now move the motion. I move that the Parliament, in exercise—
The Deputy Presiding Officer:
Con
It is not necessary to read the motion out, as it appears in the business bulletin. You should simply move the motion.
John Young:
Con
I was advised that it might have to be read out, but I shall simply move the motion and trust that everyone knows what it says. I move,That the Parliament—(a...
Shona Robison (North-East Scotland) (SNP):
SNP
I should make it clear that I am speaking in a personal capacity this afternoon. I begin by paying tribute to the business managers of the Parliament, who ha...
Johann Lamont (Glasgow Pollok) (Lab):
Lab
Will Shona Robison accept an intervention?
Shona Robison:
SNP
No, I will not. My reasons for lodging the amendment are simple. First, I do not believe that we should be voting at all on our own salaries. That is a hideo...
Tommy Sheridan (Glasgow) (SSP):
SSP
I am sure that I was not the only member who received a Christmas card from the Lanarkshire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust branch of Unison. That Christmas card h...
Alex Johnstone (North-East Scotland) (Con):
Con
I am surprised to find myself speaking at this stage of the debate, but I will briefly take the opportunity to say something, as I was one of the business ma...
Mr Mike Rumbles (West Aberdeenshire and Kincardine) (LD):
LD
Will the member give way?
Alex Johnstone:
Con
Not at this stage.
Dorothy-Grace Elder (Glasgow) (SNP):
SNP
Will the member take an intervention?
Alex Johnstone:
Con
No. Not at this stage.I am suggesting that it is appropriate to move on those lines because I believe that it is the responsibility of Parliament to deal wit...
Donald Gorrie (Central Scotland) (LD):
LD
We all find the subject very difficult and in no way do I criticise any member who comes to a different conclusion from mine. After a lot of swithering, I ha...
Irene McGugan (North-East Scotland) (SNP):
SNP
I speak in support of Shona Robison's amendment. I am aware of the hard work and long hours that every member contributes and I am aware that elsewhere, whet...
Ms Margo MacDonald (Lothians) (SNP):
SNP
I will vote for the SSRB's recommendation, but not because I particularly think that I am worth that amount of money. That is not what I am being asked to vo...
The Minister for Parliamentary Business (Patricia Ferguson):
Lab
I am sure that, for Ms MacDonald, the public of Scotland would make an exception on the beheading. I do not intend to make a long speech, but a couple of poi...
Dorothy-Grace Elder:
SNP
I am rather puzzled about why we are repeatedly hearing the mantra that things will be much better next time because the issue will not be publicly debated i...
Patricia Ferguson:
Lab
If Dorothy-Grace Elder's premise were correct, I would probably agree with her, but it is not correct. The motion will mean that in future the SPCB will have...
George Lyon (Argyll and Bute) (LD):
LD
I will not support the motion for two reasons. First, there is a desperate need for the Parliament to rebuild confidence among the general public. Any member...
John Young:
Con
I shall be brief. As I said in my opening remarks, the role of the corporate body has been to facilitate the debate. A number of interesting comments have be...