NICOLA Sturgeon reaffirmed the Scottish Government’s commitment to fair work in an address to the Scottish Trade Union Congress (STUC) in which she slated P&O bosses for their “disgusting” treatment of workers.
The First Minister said she “utterly condemned” the way in which hundreds of P&O employees were made redundant over a video call last month and added she was eager to see employment law devolved to the Scottish Government so companies would not be able to get away with such actions in the future.
She added fair work must be “the hallmark of Scotland’s economy in the years ahead”.
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In her address to the STUC conference in Aberdeen on Monday - which marked 125 years of the trade union movement in Scotland – Sturgeon also slammed the UK Government’s lack of support for people facing a cost-of-living crisis and vowed to work with the organisation to secure a fair transition to a net zero economy.
The First Minister’s scathing assessment of P&O’s actions was met with applause at the event in Aberdeen as she described the company’s employment practices as being from “a bygone age”.
She said: “We are promoting fair work in the foundational economy; the essential retail, transport, care and public services which all of us rely on every single day.
“As the pandemic demonstrated, these services matter hugely. People who work in these services must be treated fairly and that’s why fair work is at the heart of our new retail strategy and that’s why proposals for the National Care Service include proposals for national pay bargaining.
“We must continue improving terms and conditions for people, mainly women, who work in that sector. And it’s why we utterly condemn employers who do not treat employees with dignity and respect they deserve.
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“The way in which P&O made and then communicated its decision to make workers redundant goes against any principle of common decency. P&O’s employment practices belong to a bygone age.
“P&O’s treatment of its workers was disgusting and despicable. We should unite here in Scotland to make clear that companies will not get away with behaviour like that and the sooner we have employment law devolved to the Scottish Parliament so we can back that up in action, the better.
“Fair work in the foundational economy is an essential part of any high-skilled, high-wage economy and fair work improves the performance of businesses and improves the economy overall as well.”
Sturgeon also gave a damning verdict on the UK Government’s approach to the cost-of-living crisis, describing Chancellor Rishi Sunak’s Spring Statement as a “disappointment”.
She urged the STUC to join her in continuing to press politicians and Westminster to do more to help those in need and pledged to keep assessing what the Scottish Government can do to mitigate the damage.
She added: “What is being experienced right now is more severe than most of us have ever known in our lifetimes. This crisis is hitting hardest those who are already most in need and it will push many people over the poverty line.
“No society that values fairness and basic decency should passively accept the poverty and misery this crisis is causing. Last month, the Spring Statement was such a disappointment. It failed to address what is a growing emergency.
“I accept the big responsibility on the shoulders of me and the Scottish Government I lead, we have a duty to do all we can and will continue to do so.
“We will continually assess and reassess what other steps we can take and we will continue to press the UK Government to take further action given they hold the purse strings and most of the relevant levers.”
As part of her address on transitioning to a net-zero economy, the First Minister announced annual funding of £100,000 for the STUC to cover staffing costs for officials who can liaise with workers and the government to make sure a just transition happens.
Sturgeon added: “Scotland faces a period of profound economic change as we seek to rapidly reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Our transition to becoming a net-zero economy must be a fair one. We must not leave people, communities or regions behind."
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