Iain Duncan Smith missing the point on welfare reform

Yesterday, STUC hosted a Scottish Living Wage Conference which – coincidentally - took place on the same day that Iain Duncan Smith made a major speech on welfare reform.  As many will be aware, IDS has been somewhat reinvented as a “caring Tory” since the inception of the Social Justice Commission and his attendant tours of the housing schemes of Britain, including Easterhouse in Glasgow. The response to his speech has been mixed reflecting the fact that, in principle, some of his suggestions – such as simplifying the benefit system and removing financial barriers to work – could help a proportion of those who currently find that the inflexible benefit system and ‘other costs’ such as child care make working a negative option.

What was concerning, and I would suggest, more significant was the lack of any reference whatsoever to the prevalence of low pay and its relationship to the often mentioned aim of ‘making work pay’.

Despite this week’s announcement of a slight improvement in child poverty statistics – a Labour Government achievement which IDS seems intent on ignoring – in-work poverty is a major problem and a signal cause of child poverty. In this context even positive changes to the benefit system (are there’s no guarantee of that) are nowhere near enough.

Any government worth its salt and concerned about public spending would be up in arms at the extent to which the benefit system subsidises low paid employment.  Equally any business which does pay decent wages should be concerned at the extent to which its low pay competitors are being supported by the public purse.

At our conference yesterday we announced the annual uplift of the Living Wage to £7.15 per hour and pledged to continue to press for its implementation by Scottish business and public sector employers.  It is a modest sum, calculated to support individuals only to a very basic level.  It is a wage that is some 25% higher than the completely inadequate minimum wage, but even on this rate of pay, many many families will be forced to use benefits to supplement their income.

Research from Kendra Strauss launched at our conference showed that 10% of men and 15% of women earned less than £7 per hour in Scotland, and the figure for those earning less than £7.15 will be considerably higher.

If Iain Duncan Smith has any ambition to ‘make work pay’, he will have to come up with a way to tackle low pay and his speech this week fell painfully short in that department.


Dave Moxham
Deputy General Secretary STUC

Cheapside Street Fifty Years On

Exactly one month before the first International International Workers Memorial Day to be recognised by the United Kingdom Government hundreds gathered in George Square to remember the 14 fire fighters from Glasgow Fire Brigade and 5 members of the Glasgow Salvage Corp who perished in the Cheapside Street fire on 28 March 1960.

At that time Glasgow was known as the “tinderbox city” a label that has vanished thanks to improved fire safety and building regulations.

One comparison that remains to this day is that fire fighters are a disciplined and committed team who face danger day in and day out trying to save lives in fires, tragedies such as the ICL tragedy not that far from Cheapside Street and in road traffic accidents throughout Scotland. This dedication can come at a tragic as happened at Cheapside Street and only last year Lothian and Borders Firefighter Ewan Williamson lost his life while on active while filling in for colleague.

Read the FBU report on Firefighter deaths on their website http://www.fbu.org.uk/campaigns/fatalities/fbu_fatalities_report.pdf

We now have of the most modern fire and rescue service on Europe and perhaps the world but cuts in public service are threatening levels of fire cover in communities such as Broughty Ferry safe.

Balmossie Fire Station, opened in 1982 to serve a growing residential area in the north east of Dundee and provide stand by cover to surrounding stations is heading towards being towards being downgraded on evidence a local campaign group is challenging.

The decision will be taken by Tayside Fire Board today and it is hoped that the board will do  exactly what they did the last time,  kick this proposal out.

The representatives who serve on the board could also have a word with the Chief Officer in Tayside and maybe suggest that continuing to crusade against provision of fire and rescue cover is not helpful and perhaps he should listen to the people in the communities likely to be affected by his decisions.

For further information on the Balmossie campaign see the their website http://www.savebalmossiefireengine.co.uk/

Ian Tasker STUC

British Airways

Let’s recap, the fire-fighters were fascists, the Royal mail workers wreckers and now the BA cabin crew are deplorable. Why do our elected members of Parliament (with a few honourable exceptions) denigrate working people so glibly? Particular venom is reserved for those workers who have the temerity to stand up for their jobs and conditions. Perhaps some workforce’s would have glibly accepted all the changes imposed on them by BA and gave up their conditions and jobs, under the great all encompassing word of the day, flexibility.

Instead the gutsy BA cabin crew have other ideas. Against a press campaign based on lies and distortion in a legal environment that is little more than an employers strike breaking charter and a political elite competing with each other to condemn them , they have overwhelmingly voted in a democratic ballot to defend their jobs and conditions and prevent a race to the bottom in the aviation industry. Not that Lord Adonis the Transport Minister would know much about democratic ballots!!

The BA cabin crew face overwhelming odds. Dozens of union stewards have been suspended or face and disciplinary action, staff travel facilities have been threatened all the while the employer has ruthlessly undertaken secondary action including hiring aircraft and crews to beat the strike . In contrast cabin crew and their union UNITE have had to stand alone constricted by a hostile legal environment that deems even the most cursory support from other workers as secondary action and hence illegal.

Still they stand firm and join a rich tradition of workers who were prepared to defend their jobs conditions and industry. Every trade unionist should support them , contrast the dignity and loyalty they have displayed to each other with our elected politicians who, when not too busy briefing against each other, are prepared to condemn decent working people for the price of a cheap newspaper headline.

John Slaven

Michael Foot 1913- 2010

It is said that you should never meet your heroes; as they always disappoint. Well I met Michael Foot on the stairwell of my union headquarters. Unbeknown to me at the time ASLEF allowed the Tribune newspaper to share its Hampstead offices. Michael Foot lived just around the corner and as a former editor frequently visited Tribune to write and catch up with old colleagues. . Well he did not disappoint: He was charming, generous with his time and very funny.

With the death of Michael Foot the union movement lost a friend. A man of great intellect who counted George Orwell and HG Wells as his friends, He was part of a generation of brilliant left wing politicians including Nye Bevan the founder of the NHS, Barbara Castle who introduced the Equal Pay Act and Jennie Lee founder of the Open University The perception of Michael Foot as a rambling old radical was a travesty of the truth .In an era of robotic sound bite politicians Michael Foot was a political superstar. A brilliant orator, journalist and author who published twenty books in his lifetime including the seminal biography of Aneurin Bevan. A co founder of CND and a man who as Employment Secretary 1974-76 did more for workers rights than anyone politician since the war. Michael Foot was a man of action who understood that principles were not enough. The great challenge was to apply principles and in doing so change the world bit by bit.

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In today's era where every piece of employment legislation appears to be written by the CBI Michael Foot was fearless in advancing workers rights. He introduced the 1974 Healthy and Safety Act which created the H&S Executive and established workplace Health and Safety representatives. .This legislation undoubtedly saved thousand of workers from death and injury. Michael Foot also introduced the mighty 1974 labour and Industrial Acts this was probably the most pro worker piece of legislation ever passed by the UK Parliament , For the first time it compelled employers to collectively bargain with trade unions including giving unions the information they required to negiotate. It legislated to allow unions meetings during work time. It established unfair tribunals and ACAS as well granting women workers guarantees of maternity leave and reinstainment. The Act was so radical it was dubbed the Shop Stewards Charter by Jack Jones the legendary General Secretary of the TGWU.



His last action as Employment Secretary was to pilot the 1976 Sex Discrimination Act which tackled the discrimination of women within the workplace and society. All of this legislation was introduced despite economic recession, employer opposition and the Labour Government having a tiny majority. In his two years as Employment Secretary he did more for workers rights than our current politicians have achieved in the past thirty. A salutary lesson of what can be achieved if the political courage and will is there.


If this was not enough Michael Foot must be one of the few people who have brought a Government down by writing a pamphlet!! Even more remarkable the pamphlet was written over a weekend and the three authors had to remain anonymous. The pamphlet was entitled “The Guilty Men” and was written in July 1940 lat the time when British troops were being rescued from the beaches of Dunkirk after a series of military disasters. The pamphlet simple message was that the Chamberlain Tory Government was too incompetent, class ridden and defeatist to overcome Hitler and the Nazis. Instead it called for a people’s war where the defeat of Nazi Germany was linked to building a new post Britain where the poverty, slums and unemployment of the thirties were banished. In modern day parlance the pamphlet was a massive underground hit; despite the major publishers refusing to stock it sold over 200, 000 copies in a month and was hot property in the armament factories, barracks and offices of wartime Britain. It caused a massive controversy and was credited with creating the vote of no confidence that deposed the Chamberlain Government heralding in a Government of National Unity that included the Labour and Trade Union movement, that ultimately defeated fascist Germany.

After his death last week the common theme to the tributes that have appeared from friends and opponents alike highlighted his courtesy, decency and generously of spirit. But his manner and personal conduct were grounded in the strong and deeply held political convictions he held. Many political theorists suggest that in times when parties and politicians have few ideological differences, personal animosity does not reduce but becomes worse. Witness today the spectacle of politicians from the same party briefing and spinning against each other despite hardly a smidgeon of political difference between them. Michael Foot did not need to have personal feuds because his deep convictions understood it was issues that counted not personalities. Perhaps he was not cut out to be a leader in the media age. He was not someone who you could tell how to dress and how to speak, he did not do makeovers, but he was real and authentic and hence respected.

Some have argued that for all his talents Michael Foots political views were utopian and unrealistic and not cut out for the modern world. No doubt this view is uttered by politicians in all parties who called for less red tape and regulation, more privatisation and whose messianic belief in unfettered financial markets has brought our economy to verge of collapse while creating the biggest gap between rich and poor since the industrial revolution.

Now is the time to look revisit the views of Michael Foot He was a passionate supporter of Keynesian economics and believed that at times of economic recession it was the role of governments to maintain social spending in order to sustain employment and to prevent the economy spiralling into depression... He advocated a publically owned National Investment Bank because he believed in the need for long term investment in industry and manufacturing rather than short speculation and spivery. He believed in strong trade unions and progressive taxation in part because of his belief in social justice but also because he understood that in order to maintain a stable economy all sections of society had to collectively prosper. If workers were to poor and wages to low , they could not afford to buy goods and services that the economy produced and this would create a permanent cycle of economic stagnation .This is exactly what happened in nineteen thirties when the mass unemployment and searing poverty he witnessed turned the young Michael Foot into a lifelong socialist. Finally as a Minister he promoted an interventionist industrial strategy that understood that economic development required investment, nourishment and support. In short Michael Foot believed in policies that are advocated today by many of the worlds leading economists such as Nobel Prize winner Paul Krugman. Far from being a utopian, history has proved Michael Foot to be right on every major social and economic question. Indeed if we adopted the policies he advocated we would not be in the mess we are in today.

Yes but what about his unrealistic bohemian social views. Such as his belief in equal pay, abortion rights, and racial and sexual equality .Michael Foot passionately argued for these beliefs at a time when they were seen as marginal in the Labour Movement Michael Foot freely admitted his views were influenced by his feminist wife the film maker Jill Craiggie. Finally he was an early advocate for a Scottish and Welsh parliament and of course as a committed member of CND he argued that Trident was an expensive useless but dangerous folly. Far from being a utopian Michael Foot proved to years ahead of his time.

On leaving Parliament in 1992 without ceremony or ego he quietly refused a peerage considering the House of Lords as an undemocratic farce. Unlike today’s politicians he did not spend his retirement in consultancies and directorships in sectors he privatised. In any case Michael Foot privatised nothing. Instead he completed four more books, wrote for Tribune and quietly campaigned for the causes he believed in. Despite being in his nineties he attended the march against the war in Iraq. The last march of the many he attended in his life.

A man of passion and compassion, of principles and of action his legacy will be in the lives his Health and Legislation saved and in the more humane workplaces he helped create. His friend Spike Milligan once commented he has a saintly quality.. He was no saint but in the era of spin and expenses scandals, perhaps he was the nearest thing to it the post war Labour movement produced. I hope the Trade Union Movement honour his memory in some way. Perhaps a good time would be the May Day Bank Holiday. Not only is it International Workers Day it was also Michael Foot who gave us all the day off by making it a Bank Holiday in 1978.

John Slaven

Anti-Fascism March- 12 noon 20 February, Edinburgh

The STUC as part of Scotland United are having a counter demonstration against the Scottish Defence League (SDL) which intends to organise in Edinburgh on 20 Feb. This event follows a previous attempt by the SDL to march in Glasgow in November. Here, Scotland United successfully organised a peaceful counter-demonstration which prevented the SDL from taking over our streets.

Scotland United is a coming together of trade unionists, political parties, anti-racist organisations, and faith groups to celebrate multicultural Scotland and to prevent fascist organisations like the SDL from dividing Scotland’s people.

The demonstration on the 20 Feb will begin at 12 noon at the Ross Bandstand, Princes Street Gardens, Edinburgh. A range of speakers will be heard, including the deputy general secretary of the STUC, Dave Moxham. The march will then take place at 1pm and will disperse at the meadows.

As far as the STUC are aware, the SDL has not yet submitted an application to march.


Please come along to our march and rally.

NO TO FASCISM
NO TO RACISM
YES TO A SCOTLAND UNITED

Helen McGuigan
Assistant Secretary

Workers Memorial Day Recognition, better late than never

The Government announced that the United Kingdom would formally recognise International Workers Memorial Day beginning with this year’s commemoration on the 28 April.

This long awaited move came within hours of the deaths of two construction workers after suffering, what appears to be falls from height. In the first incident on the Forth Bridge a painter was killed after falling 150 feet on Wednesday, 27 April around 9pm. Hours later on the morning of the 28 January, another painter was killed on the Tay Rail Bridge following a fall of about 6 feet.

Trade unions, families of workers, hazards and asbestos groups have secured recognition after a long campaign and the Government has listed to our views and ensured that the day remains a commemoration organised workers for workers.

There will be no single focus for workers memorial day and the current practice of local TUC’s and campaign groups organising their own memorials will remain, and hopefully grow, following this announcement.

For further information on International Workers Memorial Day please see the TUC pages www.tuc.org.uk/h_and_s/index.cfm?mins=293 or Hazards Magazine www.hazards.org/wmd/ .


Ian Tasker
Assistant Secretary

Literacy Commission Report Demonstrates Need for Workplace Literacies Funding

The Literacy Commission established by the Labour Party in 2008 recently reported that up to 1 million adults in Scotland have difficulty with reading. Trade unions have proven to be highly successful in meeting the demand for workplace learning with the support of the current Scottish and European funding structures. We also have a powerful influence in determining the level of training amongst employers. In a recent study by the STUC, 52% of learners cited the encouragement of a union voice as the motivation for returning to learning. However, there is currently no Government strategy for workplace literacy and the ability to access appropriate everyday skills workplace provision varies greatly across the country.

Futureskills Scotland research discovered that unions have a positive impact in ensuring that employers adopt high skills strategies and therefore, raise the demand for skills. Scottish Union Learning is actively involved in Everyday Skills activity.

The term ‘Everyday Skills’ defines the language, literacy, numeracy and basic IT skills required both in the workplace and at home. Examples include understanding written and verbal job instructions, reading and understanding health and safety information, writing letters and reports, completing time-sheets and rotas, working out a family budget, understanding mortgage interest rates, and helping children with their homework. In addition, Scottish Union Learning can arrange support for learners who may have dyslexia and/or other learning differences and disabilities.

Workers employed in lower skilled employment are less likely to engage in learning outside of the workplace. Low pay, unpredictable and long hours make it more difficult for these workers to access learning. As a result, levels of participation in lifelong learning among lower social groups is only about half that of higher professional groups.

Research indicates that 39% of men and 36% of women (more than 1,500,000 adults) have literacy skills at a level likely to negatively impact employment prospects. 71% of adults (almost 2,900,000) have numeracy skills that have negative impacts on their lives. Both of these issues are affected by social inequality. Funding for workplace literacies support is a long-term investment, but current funding for providers and practitioners is short-term. The temporary basis of funding limits any long-term development of workplace literacies. Short-term funding is not effective for unions, employers, providers or learners.

Anne Douglas, Scottish Union Learning Board Chair, said:

"There is a strong need for a central funding stream that can be accessed throughout the country and the Government has a responsibility to ensure there are consistent funding arrangements in place that are responsive to unique workplaces and the particular needs of every learner. To create a fair and equitable learning society in the future, Scottish Union Learning urges all political parties to commit to provide dedicated funding for workplace literacies."

The Scottish Union Learning Everyday Skills Event will take place on Thursday, 25 February 2010 at the Teacher Building in Glasgow. This annual event enables Union Learning Reps, SULF Project Workers, Trade Union Education Officers and Tutors to explore methods of supporting those with everyday skills needs and raise the profile of everyday skills issues in the workplace. The theme of the event is ‘Improving Everyday Skills in the Current Economic Climate’, and it will focus on employability, literacy, numeracy and ESOL for the workplace. To register, visit www.scottishunionlearning.com.

Jennifer Payne
Marketing Officer
Scottish Union Learning