Meeting of the Parliament 15 December 2015
Although we remain disappointed by the Scottish Parliament’s views last week on the lodging of a legislative consent motion, it is essential that the Scottish Parliament is able to express its opposition to this poorly thought out piece of legislation in the clearest possible terms to the United Kingdom Government. The general policy memorandum that was sent last Friday to the Devolution (Further Powers) Committee for its consideration will provide an opportunity to do that. That consideration will be followed by a debate of the whole Parliament.
Yesterday, the First Minister raised the Scottish Government’s very clear opposition to the Trade Union Bill with the Prime Minister. We will continue to make the case to the UK Government that the bill is unnecessary and potentially damaging, and that banning check-off and facility time in Scotland impinges on our responsibilities to our employees.
It is our view that the best solution would be for the United Kingdom Government to devolve industrial relations to the Scottish Parliament. We will work across party boundaries in that regard. Indeed, we are delighted to be part of a broader coalition on the issue, which includes the other devolved Administrations, the unions and wider civic society.