We’ve already seen that Scotland has 28% of the UK’s living wage employers yet only 8% of the population, that NHS Scotland will pay a living wage to all employees and that Scottish housing associations will do the same. See the links below for more on this. Now we see that small businesses in Scotland have been quick to pay the living wage and that most are not using non-guaranteed hours contracts.
From Insider:
‘FSB study reveals most small firms shunning zero hours contracts. Federation of Small Businesses says its research also reveals almost 66% of SMEs were paying staff at least £7.83 an hour before this became new national living wage rateBottom of Form. Most small firms are not using zero-hours contracts and were paying the adult living wage before it was increased earlier this year, a study shows. A survey of over 550 small businesses found that more than four out of five did not hire workers on non-guaranteed hours contracts.’
https://www.insider.co.uk/news/fsb-zero-hours-contracts-smes-13076956
Links:
Another step on the way to becoming a ‘Living Wage Nation’ and a ‘Better Nation?’
Talking-up Scotland 
Good to have you back John, well rested and finding us good news 🙂
A friend of mine that runs a small business says there is absolutely no issues staying in business while paying the real living wage – they were one of the first companies to take up the policy in fact. They do use zero hours contracts for staff that want them though. I don’t really agree with that, but if everyone is treated fairly it works out (the point is that you really can’t trust all companies to be fair!).
The radio Scotland GMS programme this morning: police Scotland and banks are successfully tackling fraud; then the Scottish government is responsible for bombing children in Yemen – how they came to that conclusion was through a long circuitous route of vague and spurious links; the Scottish gov’t supports a private arms manufacturer business in Scotland, and some of those arms may, or may not, be some of those sold by the uk gov’t to the Saudis, who are, apparently perfectly legally bombing Yemen – to help the country of course. I just caught the end of some kind of mad interview where the interviewer (woman, sorry, didn’t catch who was on this morning) was interrupting and almost screeching questions that not only seemed irrelevant but incredibly rude about the immorality of the Scottish government. The BBC really are desperate for a Scot gov scandal. And they are well out of order in their search for it.
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Other folks noticed the rabid interview on GMS this morning:
I think someone down the thread has got a clip if you at all need to be fully embarrassed by her performance (Gillian Marles according to the twittersphere)
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Hm. That was meant to be just a link,,, hope it worked?!
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From the Herald today we learn of one employer – the Westminster Govt – which seems to be involved in distinctly murky dealings regarding the ‘blocking’ of the appointment of SNP Councillor Chris McEleny to his elected position on the European Council of the Regions (CoR): see edit below:
The leader of Inverclyde Council’s SNP group was chosen by councillors to represent Scotland as part of the UK delegation of the Committee of Regions (CoR), a collection of 350 politicians from across the EU, including 25 from the UK, who rule on EU legislation implemented at a local level.
McEleny’s appointment was approved by First Minister Nicola Sturgeon but later blocked by Lord Callanan, a Minister of State at the Department for Exiting the European Union (DExEU).
Callanan said the SNP should now submit another nomination in place of McEleny, however he is considering legal action.
McEleny said: “At the end of the day I was democratically elected by constituents, then by councillors across Scotland, and then it was approved by the First Minister of Scotland. By making this decision the UK Government is effectively saying it doesn’t matter who the people of Scotland elect if they disagree. I think it’s a version of a political blacklist and we’ll be looking at potential legal options to challenge that.”
SNP MP for Inverclyde Ronnie Cowan has also accused the UK Government of blacklisting McEleny over his dispute with the Ministry of Defence.
Cowan said: “This reeks of desperate politicking by the UK government – and is effectively an effort to blacklist.
“The obvious and well documented background to this is that Councillor Chris McEleny has a live case against his former employer, the Ministry of Defence.
“UK government departments are known to have sight and the option of a veto on such appointments to the Committee of Regions. Councillor Chris McEleny’s commitment to his constituents in Inverclyde is of the highest standard and his enthusiasm for the area and for Scotland would be a great asset to the CoR.”
Two weeks ago, the Sunday Herald revealed McEleny has secured an employment tribunal victory after a judge decided his support for Scottish independence was “protected” under equality legislation.
Judge Frances Eccles ruled that sovereignty and “self-determination” are “weighty and substantial aspects of human life” and the merits of McEleny’s case against the MOD can now go forward to a full hearing.
There’s no place for Westminster ‘blacklists’ in the new and better Scotland – Shove your stinking blacklists up where the sun don’t shine Lord Callanan – we don’t need them here.
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