Meeting of the Parliament 11 June 2015
No, thanks; I have been generous.
There was no compelling case made to the Smith commission in support of the devolution of employment law and it was not part of the all-party Smith commission agreement. If my recollection is correct, many troubling observations were made about what the effects of the devolution of employment and the creation of different employment regimes could mean for the stability of both business and the employment base in Scotland, so it will not surprise the cabinet secretary that my party does not support her view on those things.
The cabinet secretary’s motion hardly reads like a charter for business strength and job creation. It restricts itself to the rights of employees and the obligations of employers—a theme echoed by many contributors to the debate. Having been an employer myself, and having been responsible for staff issues, I know that it is mutual respect and regular dialogue in the workplace that creates the most stable platform for good relations, a partnership between employer and employee. Let me make clear that I think that trade unions have a very important role to play in that function, which extends beyond industrial relations. Trade unions can be an invaluable source of advice and information about training or how to improve practices in the workplace, which is all to be welcomed.
Very few members alluded to some interesting models of employee engagement that already exist, such as staff or work councils, co-operatives, workers trusts, employee ownership trusts and the recently constructed employee shareholders model, in which employees are encouraged to have a financial interest in the business. I am a very strong advocate of all that, as it makes for a strong business entity.
Many positive initiatives are taking place and I wish the fair work convention well in its endeavours to build on all that. It has an opportunity to think outside the box. However, I have one word of caution: the convention should remember that business operates against a razor edge of global competition, and we must leave businesses free to make essential commercial decisions. I support the amendment in my colleague’s name.
16:39