Meeting of the Parliament (Hybrid) 03 February 2021
Other members have begun with thanks, and I echo one line in the Government amendment and thank those who have done the right thing by self-isolating as necessary. However, I am certain that I am not the only member in the chamber who has, since the very beginning of the pandemic, heard from constituents who are self-isolating despite their severe anxieties about the consequences for themselves, their livelihoods and their families. We have a responsibility to recognise those anxieties and to address them.
I have heard from constituents who have been made to work by their employer, even despite having reported symptoms; told not to use the test and protect app; refused furlough; and told directly not to self-isolate—“Turn up for work, or you’ll lose your job.” Those are the kinds of threats that people have had. Never mind just the loss of pay during the self-isolation period; staff are told, “Turn up for work, or you won’t get any more shifts at all.” That is the type of coercion that some constituents have reported experiencing throughout the whole saga.
I worry that the fear of coercion or reprisals from employers will only grow as the vaccine programme rolls out. Irresponsible employers will feel strengthened in that regard, and some employees will feel under greater pressure to take risks with their own health and the public’s health. Most people want to do the right thing, but they face barriers—about money, but not only money.
I will mention some of the arguments from the Scottish Trades Union Congress. In my memory, the STUC has never taken a simplistic jobs, jobs, jobs or all-jobs-are-good-jobs approach. It recognises that quality of employment matters. Some jobs are secure, well rewarded and protected by legal workplace rights and good practice by employers. Work of that kind is great for people’s wellbeing, socially and physically as well as economically. Bad jobs do the opposite. As Rozanne Foyer told the Finance and Constitution Committee today in her evidence on the budget, the pandemic has shown us more clearly than ever “that bad work kills”, including by creating barriers to self-isolation where that is necessary.
As I said, some of those barriers are financial. They may result from precarious work; insecure incomes; a lack of employment rights; and the low level of, or a lack of eligibility for, statutory sick pay. It is therefore absurd to remove from the motion any reference to the UK Government. However, there are also challenges that are within the devolved competence of the Scottish Government, because barriers to self-isolation also exist in the form of living space, caring responsibilities, mental health and many more factors.
I very much welcome the First Minister’s acknowledgement that issues such as international travel should have been dealt with more firmly in the past. We are now moving to a system of managed hotel quarantine, which is overdue but welcome and necessary. Why should there be any less of a proactive approach to self-isolation for people who live here, who know that they may have been exposed to the virus and want to do the right thing, but who need a bit of help? We need a much more proactive approach from both Governments. I commend Mark Ruskell’s motion to the chamber.