Everyone deserves a decent minimum living wage and Labour led Renfrewshire Council is at the forefront of the fight to make sure that happens by ensuring its entire staff are paid a living wage or more. But the Council has gone further. It has used its influence and its money to encourage contractors who want to do business with the Council to pay the living wage. As a result, 85% of Council contractors now pay at least the living wage, and Councillor Mark Macmillan and his colleagues are determined to build on this. Contrast this with the feeble efforts of the SNP Government. SNP Ministers have consistently refused to use Scottish Government powers to encourage contractors to pay the living wage. Ministers claim the law prevents them from doing anything. Why then has the Department of Energy and Climate at the much criticised UK Government, pledged that all its staff, including sub-contracted staff, will be paid at least the living wage? It’s time for the SNP Government to stop hiding behind spurious legal claims and at least match Renfrewshire Council and the UK Government.
21 Nov 2014
A Living Wage
Everyone deserves a decent minimum living wage and Labour led Renfrewshire Council is at the forefront of the fight to make sure that happens by ensuring its entire staff are paid a living wage or more. But the Council has gone further. It has used its influence and its money to encourage contractors who want to do business with the Council to pay the living wage. As a result, 85% of Council contractors now pay at least the living wage, and Councillor Mark Macmillan and his colleagues are determined to build on this. Contrast this with the feeble efforts of the SNP Government. SNP Ministers have consistently refused to use Scottish Government powers to encourage contractors to pay the living wage. Ministers claim the law prevents them from doing anything. Why then has the Department of Energy and Climate at the much criticised UK Government, pledged that all its staff, including sub-contracted staff, will be paid at least the living wage? It’s time for the SNP Government to stop hiding behind spurious legal claims and at least match Renfrewshire Council and the UK Government.
