HIGHLANDS AND ISLANDS MSP: EMPLOYMENT LAW CANNOT REMAIN IN WESTMINSTER HANDS

Highlands and Islands MSP Emma Roddick has voiced her concern that, despite the Scottish Government’s recent efforts to explore its ability to improve the experience of workers, the true potential of employment law reform is limited by powers being reserved to Westminster.

Highlighting the efforts to support businesses in Scotland to implement a four-day working week, the SNP MSP pressed the Minister for Fair Work on whether things could be done better with further devolution, or independence.

Commenting, Roddick said:

“As a disabled woman and ex-gig economy worker, I know that the UK’s third-rate employment legislation base allows the mass exploitation of millions, especially part-time workers. You don’t have to look far for evidence of this – one particularly disturbing example being the recent scandal of poor working conditions and pay suffered by Ukrainian seasonal workers on UK farms.

“Of course, with employment law still being reserved to Westminster, there is far too little the Scottish Parliament can do to improve matters. Disappointingly, no major unionist party supports devolving these powers.

“It is upsetting that Labour and the Tories remain united in the belief that the laws that regulate our working life should remain in the hands of a pro-deregulation, anti-worker Tory government in Whitehall that people in Scotland did not vote for.

“It is clearer than ever that only independence for Scotland can deliver a fair deal for workers.”