Labour’s pledge - a living wage in Scotland

11.01.11 - STULP

“In a 21st century Scotland no one who does a fair day’s work should receive less than a fair day’s pay. In a Labour Scotland we will make sure that no one does,” said Iain Gray at the Labour Conference in Manchester.

It might not have had the nail-biting drama of the leadership result. But for those in Scotland who care about poverty and inequality, Iain Gray’s announcement of a pledge to institute a Living Wage when Labour regain power in Holyrood will have been a high point of proceedings in Manchester.

Minimum wage

Labour’s introduction of the minimum wage was a key factor in lifting hundreds of thousands out of poverty when Labour was in Government. But the sad fact is but it doesn’t do enough for hard working families. That’s why Iain Gray has pledged that a Living wage of “over £7.00 per hour” will be at the heart of Labour’s campaigning into the next Holyrood election and beyond. With a Con Dem Government in Westminster intent on lengthening the dole queue – and the SNP Government in Edinburgh making the situation worse through their choices – it’s never been more important to make work pay.

Low pay remains a very real problem for hundreds of thousands of workers across Scotland. The national minimum wage has helped outlaw blatant exploitation and the tax credit system has helped boost the pay of thousands of low paid workers. But despite this there are still upwards of 300,000 full time workers in Scotland who suffer low pay. The existence of so many low paid jobs traps individuals and families in poverty, denying the opportunities and choices that should be for everyone in a country as wealthy as Scotland.

Scotland’s Trade Unions are fully behind the pledge of a Living Wage. We should not need a further change in the law to begin the task of ensuring an adequate income for all. It’s a promise that clearly worried the nationalists - they tried to play catch up at their conference, pledging a Living Wage for workers in the NHS and those directly employed by the Scottish Government. But this fails to match Labour ’s commitment to a Living Wage throughout all of Scotland’s public services.

Commitment

Labour’s commitment is not one that stems from a calculation of electoral advantage. It is driven by our values. It is a promise - not just to the low paid, but to everyone in Scotland that, under Labour, we can do better. As Iain Gray put it in that Manchester speech: “Hard times or not, I want a Scotland of fairness, of opportunity, of excellence. A Scotland to be proud of; a Scotland to fight and struggle and organise for; a Labour Scotland.”