Meeting of the Parliament 01 March 2016
First, I declare an interest as a member of Unite the union and as a former director of the Scottish Low Pay Unit. I commend the Economy, Energy and Tourism Committee and its members for bringing the debate to the chamber. It is important that we continue to keep this issue at the forefront of everything that we do.
As has been mentioned today and as is covered in the report, the committee’s findings show that it is important that we continue to ensure that people across Scotland are in high-quality work that pays well; that is rewarding and has good working conditions; and in which individuals feel respected and well treated.
Employment numbers alone are not enough to measure the success of the jobs market in Scotland. There is no point in having high numbers of people registered as employed if their work does not provide them with adequate pay, gives them too few or too many hours or does not provide them with secure and dignified work.
The work, wages and wellbeing online questionnaire found that 68 per cent of respondents stated that the quality of their work had deteriorated over the past five years, while 14 per cent felt that it had stayed the same and only 18 per cent said that the quality of their work had improved. The results are clear: even if the employment rate is up, the quality and standards of work are not. What good is it to provide jobs if those jobs do not offer the dignity, security and finances that employment should guarantee?
No one who works full time should find themselves in in-work poverty. The current national minimum wage is simply not enough. The UK Government’s so-called living wage is not adequate, and I make a distinction between the UK’s living wage and Scotland’s living wage in that context. Although the pay boost is welcome, the UK living wage still falls short of the minimum amount that is required to pay an appropriate living wage. Coupled with the Westminster Government’s attack on the welfare state, the so-called living wage fails to provide a decent rate of pay for the average worker. That is why the campaign for a £10 minimum wage by 2020 should be supported.
The UK Government has further attacked the rights of workers through the introduction of the Trade Union Bill. Workers’ rights are being attacked at every opportunity, and that is still the case. The right to collective action and bargaining is crucial for continued employment rights and welfare. Individuals have a right to be secure and confident in their employment, and employers should have to work with trade unions to secure good working conditions. The use of casual and agency staff and short-term contracts is no excuse to ignore employment rights. Employers should be challenged to show that contracts are justified and that working conditions are fair.
Employment has the ability to offer people both financial and personal rewards, but unfortunately it does not always do that, as we see from the report and every day in the press. In modern-day Scotland, no one should be a wage slave or a serf. We must ensure that work is decent, honest and fair, and that it provides a good wage and good working conditions. In a country such as ours, that is not too much to ask.
I look forward to seeing the report’s impact in future parliamentary sessions. I hope that the Parliament will ask employers to consider seriously the issues that have been raised and the recommendations that have been made. I look forward to the Scottish Government responding positively to the report, to ensure that we root out all the bad employment practices that unfortunately continue to exist in Scotland today.