Insecure work soars under SNP

Figures revealed by Labour today show insecure work has increased by nearly a third since 2011.

            
The figures show 220,000 people in Scotland are in low paid or insecure work, a 32 per cent rise since the SNP won a majority in 2011.


This is indicative of the kind of economy we have seen under the Tories and the SNP. Frankly, it’s an economy that works only for the privileged few.


While it is a huge relief that Gross Domestic Product (GDP) figures released today show Scotland avoiding recession, this was a narrow escape for our economy.


And the long-term trends are still worrying. The average annual change showed growth of only 0.5 per cent, compared to 1.9 per cent across the UK.


But GDP growth figures don’t show the reality of the economy for many people across the country. There are hundreds of thousands of people in Scotland, and millions across Britain, who from week to week don’t know how many hours they will work. Single parents who don’t know if their job will provide them with enough money to feed their children in any given week.


The United Kingdom is one of the wealthiest nations on earth. It is utterly appalling that there should be anyone, let alone hundreds of thousands, using food banks. Yet that is the reality for many families across our country.


The SNP often cries foul, pointing the finger of blame at others, but it has run a Scottish Government with more control over the economy than any other administration, for the last decade. The growth in insecure work is the SNP’s responsibility.


We would do things differently.


Labour’s government-in-waiting in Westminster would ban zero hour contracts across the UK and we would increase the minimum wage to a real living wage of £10 per hour.


We’d repeal the Trade Union Act and guarantee trade unions access into every work place, reversing the ebbing away of workers’ rights we have seen under Tory and SNP governments.

 

And this week Jackie Baillie will launch our industrial strategy.


It’s time to build an economy that works for the many, not the few.


Agree? Join us at https://scotlandjoin.labour.org.uk



Scottish Labour calls for action on ScotRail performance

Fewer than half of ScotRail services arrive on time at as many as 20 stations across Scotland, new figures have revealed.

The latest data from ScotRail, covering the period May 28 to June 24, shows that under 50 per cent of services were on time at these stations.

Scottish Labour's Neil Bibby MSP has called on SNP Transport Minister Humza Yousaf to demand improvements from ScotRail over the summer, to prevent a repeat of the chaos that blighted the network last autumn and winter.

Public satisfaction with ScotRail is at a 14-year low and passengers are losing patience with Humza Yousaf’s failure to act. They are fed up with overcrowded, delayed and cancelled trains.

Humza Yousaf cannot allow a repeat of the chaos that blighted the rail network last autumn and winter, and that means getting on top of performance when weather is better during the summer months.

There are 73 stations listed in the ScotRail performance report. Of those, 20 stations recorded an on-time performance of less than 50 per cent. On-time is the percentage of services which arrive within 59 seconds of their arrival time, having called at all stations on the route.

The 20 stations are:

  1. Arbroath 38.7%
  2. Ardrossan Harbour 26.5%
  3. Balloch 48.9%
  4. Bathgate 48.2%
  5. Carnoustie 38.6%
  6. Dalmuir 45.6%
  7. Elgin 40.8%
  8. Girvan 41.3%
  9. Helensburgh Central 49.3%
  10. Lanark 43.7%
  11. Largs 32.2%
  12. Markinch 43.0%
  13. Milngavie 26%
  14. Motherwell 49.2%
  15. Partick 44.5%
  16. Paisley Canal 41.2%
  17. Tain 45.4%
  18. Tweedbank 46.1%
  19. Whifflet 48.3%
  20. Wick 40.9%


Labour keeps up the pressure on public sector pay

3 July 2017

Public sector workers need a pay rise. That's why today Kez Dugdale has written to Nicola Sturgeon calling for clarity on vague promises about a pay rise.

The story so far…

On 10 May 2017, Nicola Sturgeon and other SNP MSPs voted against a Labour motion at Holyrood to scrap the 1% pay cap on NHS staff and give NHS staff a real terms pay rise instead. 

Then, on 21 May, Nicola Sturgeon was heckled by a nurse on NHS pay. 

After the General Election, SNP MPs supported a Labour motion at Westminster to lift the public sector pay cap.

Now, the SNP government at Holyrood is promsing to lift the cap – despite voting against just weeks ago.  

That's why today Kez Dugdale has written to Nicola Sturgeon looking for answers on her vague promises, and keeping the pressure on the SNP government to deliver a pay rise for public sector workers.

Agree with us that Scotland's public sector workers need a payrise? Then join today and let's fight for a Scotland for the many, not the few. 



It’s time to end Tory and SNP austerity

REVEALED: THE SNP HAS CUT COUNCIL SERVICES THREE TIMES FASTER THAN THE SCOTTISH BUDGET HAS BEEN CUT

A report by independent experts has revealed that the SNP government has cut council services three times faster than the Scottish Budget has been cut.
Research by the independent Scottish Parliament Information Centre (SPICe) shows local government budgets have plummeted by 4.6 per cent between 2013/14 and 2016/17.
Over the same period, the Scottish Government’s budget has decreased by 1.5 per cent.
This shows that the SNP has taken Tory austerity and passed it on to the poorest communities.
Figures published by the SNP government confirms that the majority of council spending in Scotland is on education and social work.
Instead of using the new powers of the Scottish Parliament to invest, SNP Ministers have slashed £1.5billion from local services since 2011.
We will continue to press the case to use the tax powers to stop the cuts and invest in public services instead. 

Scottish Labour deputy leader Alex Rowley said:
“This report proves that the SNP has taken Tory austerity and passed it on to Scottish communities.
“The SNP has cut spending in local communities three times faster than the Tories have cut the Scottish budget.
“Those cuts fall on the poorest the hardest – the biggest chunk of council spending is schools, nurseries, and social work.
“This is SNP austerity, increasing poverty and leading to thousands of redundancies across Scotland.
“It is clear that Scotland is sick and tired of austerity. Only Labour is actively making the case to use the powers of the Scottish Parliament to stop the cuts and invest instead.”
 



Ged Killen MP: Maiden speech

Thank you Mr Speaker for the opportunity to give my maiden speech in this debate, it is an honour to be standing here representing the good people of Rutherglen and Hamilton West as their new Labour and Co-operative MP and it is a pleasure to follow excellent maiden speeches across the house and, in particular that of my honourable friends, the members for:
I’d like to begin, Mr Speaker, by paying tribute to all of those affected by recent events in London and Manchester, painful and shocking tragedies that were truly felt right across the country.  One of my own constituents Piotr Chylewska was seriously injured in the Manchester bombing. Originally from Poland, Pitor now lives in Rutherglen and was among the last of the injured to be discharged from hospital in Manchester. I am pleased to say Piotr is making good progress and I’m sure members across this house would like to join me in wishing him well.
Often in the most of tragic of circumstances, we see the very best in each other and I'd like to thank Father Paul Morton, the St Bride's Parish in Cambuslang and the wider community for the support they have shown Piotr.  It is that coming together in times of adversity that I think is a testament to our shared values.  Values that I see examples of every day in my wonderful constituency of Rutherglen and Hamilton West.
In my home town in of Rutherglen, we have Coffee Shops like the Black Poppy collecting and distributing toiletries for the homeless; In Blantyre, public houses like the West End Bar supporting generations of families affected by Chernobyl; community councils like Burnside and Halfway working hard to stand up for local interests; Proud Lanarkshire institutions like Equi's Ice Cream in Hamilton; Social enterprises like R:evolve Clothing; residents associations, churches and community development trusts like Healthy ‘n’ Happy;  and too many more to name; a diverse mix of decent people all coming together and helping to make our communities better places to live one small act of kindness at a time. They are the everyday heroes and I want to thank each and every one of them for the job that they do.
Mr Speaker, my predecessor, Margaret Ferrier was a strong advocate in this house for Human Rights across the world.  I have no doubt that she cared as deeply for my constituency as I do, and I wish her well for the future. In her maiden speech, she spoke of working together in a spirit of collaboration. 
I like to think of myself as a pragmatist who welcomes consensus and, although it won't be surprising that I few fond memories of pervious conservative Governments, as the first Gay Married Man to represent my constituency, I welcomed the equal marriage legislation passed under the 2010 coalition government and I look forward to the continued advancement of LGBTI equality in this place and across the whole of the United Kingdom.
In reading the speeches of my predecessors, Mr Speaker, I was struck that the occasion of a maiden speech is an opportunity to leave a message for future generations.  I hope both my successor and I will be able to look back and have at least one fond memory of the current government. Unfortunately, initial impressions suggest I may be disappointed.
Having served as a local councillor, I have seen first-hand the effects of the government’s austerity programme on the communities in my constituency.  Real consequences for jobs, services and the local economy.
When I hear stories of people using candles to heat and light rooms in their home; of disabled people unable to put on their own socks and shoes being found fit to work; of siblings in their 20s sharing a bedroom because they have nowhere else to go;  When I hear these stories not from the pages of history where they belong Mr Speaker, but from real life in my constituency in 2017, I wonder, where is the deal for them?  Who from the government benches will negotiate to protect their interests? Support for those that need it most and investment in public services are not luxuries to be rationed or traded off.
The lack of ambition of the Scottish Government in these matters will not escape my scrutiny or criticism but if the members opposite are truly to be a government of all of the nations and regions of the United Kingdom it is time to start acting like it.
We need a government looking out for people across the country, not for the people sitting on the benches behind them and, as we go forward, it is the individual lives, the every day heroes that I want to focus on in this place.
It has been an exciting and somewhat unexpected journey for me from Gorbals boy to Member of Parliament via Rutherglen and Blantyre.  And in this era of fixed term parliaments, Mr Speaker, the great irony is that I have no idea how long I will have a seat in this place.  But my pledge to the people of Rutherglen and Hamilton West is that no matter how long that is, I fully intend to make every day count.

This speech was delivered on June 29 2017. It should be checked against delivery.