SNP Not Sufficiently Protecting Scotland’s Public Services, Says UNISON
Omar Malik
25/04/24
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The SNP is not doing enough to protect public services and improve the livelihoods of Scottish workers, according to UNISON’s Glasgow City branch.
UNISON’s criticism of the Scottish government comes a week after First Minister Humza Yousaf said he encourages all workers to join a trade union.
Brian Smith, the Glasgow City UNISON branch secretary, said: “There’s enough wealth in Scotland for it to be redistributed better than it currently is. The SNP hasn’t used their powers efficiently enough to protect public services and improve things for the country’s people.”
Yousaf must focus the government’s efforts more towards Scotland’s public services, Smith tells Blether: “The SNP is passing on hundreds of millions of pounds worth of cuts to the health service and to local councils; which are then, for example, impacting people’s services in Glasgow - with Glasgow City Council proposing to cut 450 teaching posts.”
“There’s an awful lot of detrimental actions being passed on by the SNP, which they’ll blame on the Tories and Westminster. But in our view, there’s enough wealth in Scotland for it to be redistributed better than it currently is. For example, the SNP hasn’t utilised their powers sufficiently enough to sort out Scotland’s property issues,” Smith continued.
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The Scottish Trades Union Congress proposed earlier this year that the Scottish government introduce a wealth tax and private jet levy, saying it would raise up to £3.7 billion for public services.
Fair Work First, the Scottish government’s flagship policy aimed at ensuring workplaces are fairer and more inclusive, has been praised by Smith for its focus on workers’ rights: “Some of the agenda’s goals are good - such as giving workers an effective voice and making sure they’re paid the real living wage rather than just the minimum wage.”
But Smith tells Blether that implementing the policy has not been as effective because of its limited reach: “It’s not clear how far the Fair Work First policy really rolls out beyond the absolute core of the public services - including some of the people that would work for contractors, for local authorities and for the health board.”
Equal pay activists have also criticised the policy for its role in lessening the Scottish government’s focus on tackling the gender pay gap.