I’m backing refugee and work-trial Bills
I will be in the House of Commons tomorrow to support two vitally important SNP Private Members’ Bills.
If successful, they will make a real difference to ending the exploitation of young workers, and reuniting families who have been separated as a result of fleeing persecution and violence.
SNP MP Stewart MacDonald will be presenting his Private Members’ Bill, which seeks to end unpaid work-trial shifts.
These shifts are nothing more than modern-day exploitation.
They take advantage of those seeking work, particularly young people, and very often explicitly tells those involved that they will be offered a paid contract.
However, far too often the unpaid trial shift is used to exploit the system to get workers for free for what, at times, is a considerable length of time.
This Bill is vital as the law currently allows cynical businesses to treat people like commodities for them to sample in a try-before-youbuy fashion.
Another SNP colleague, Angus Brendan MacNeil, will also be introducing a Bill tomorrow to help reunite families who have been separated from one another through their attempts to flee persecution and war.
Many refugees who are given protection in the UK have no hope of bringing their loved ones here to join them due to restrictive rules.
This includes children not being able to reunite with their parents, or parents not being able to bring their childrren aged over 18 to stay with them in the UK.
This is an appalling state of affairs that leaves young people open to exploitation.
By keeping families apart, our current system only prolongs the suffering of people who have already been through so much.
We need as many MPs as possible to turn up at Westminster to pass these vital pieces of legislation to the next phase.
Both Bills have received cross-party support, but we need more Labour and Tory politicians to attend and vote to send a clear message that workers deserve to be paid for every hour they work and vulnerable refugees deserve to be reunited with their families. ● Last Friday afternoon, I joined Derek Mackay MSP, Gallowhill Councillors Cathy McEwan and Jim Paterson and other local residents in speaking out against McGill’s plans to cut the number 20 bus service in Gallowhill.
This decision has not been well received by the people of Gallowhill and McGill’s should ensure the continuation of the number 20 bus service.
It seems like not a week goes by without bus services being cut across the country.
The current fully deregulated model is not working for many communities across Scotland, with small towns and villages with lossmaking routes particularly impacted.
I look forward to the Scottish Government’s upcoming Transport Bill addressing some of these issues. ● As chair of the all-party group for the White Ribbon Campaign, I had the pleasure of welcoming local constituent and Campaign Director for White Ribbon Scotland, Davy Thompson to our meeting this week.
Davy travelled down to London to speak to MPs about White Ribbon’s work in Scotland to promote the campaign to end violence against women and girls.
It’s clear that everyone in the all-party group were extremely impressed with the work that’s taking place in Scotland.