Tax hikes don’t go far enough, union barons warn SNP
TRADE union leaders have launched a new bid for SNP ministers to force through more tax rises.
The Unite and PCS unions say further income tax hikes are needed to fund pay rises for public sector workers.
They appealed to the Scottish Government to consider more ‘progressive’ increases at the STUC Congress yesterday, where Nicola Sturgeon tried to woo the unions by announcing funding for education programmes in the workplace.
But the Tories said such hard-Left ideas would weaken the economy and compound the misery caused by Scotland already being the highest taxed part of the UK.
Miss Sturgeon spoke at the Aviemore congress, with Scottish Labour leader Richard Leonard due to address delegates today.
Ahead of the speeches, Unite, Britain’s biggest union and Labour’s top paymaster, lodged a motion saying it was ‘concerned’ the Scottish Government’s income tax plans will ‘yield a low revenue for public services’.
Its motion says: ‘Congress believes the Scottish Government should reject Tory austerity in deeds, as well as in words, use their powers to raise sufficient revenue to properly fund public services, such as the NHS and local government, and ensure funding for a decent pay rise for all public sector workers.’
The motion also wants the Scottish Government to ‘use progressive taxation in a way that can be evidenced as benefiting public services and the Scottish economy’.
A PCS motion says ‘tax proposals outlined in December’s Budget do not go far enough and do not raise enough’.
It also pledges to ‘engage with Scottish ministers on progressive and redistributive tax policies’.
Scottish Tory finance spokesman Murdo Fraser said: ‘Scotland is already the highest-taxed part of Britain thanks to the SNP. It seems if certain unions had their way, that misery would be compounded even further.
‘These hard Left ideas would only serve to weaken Scotland’s economy and drive job creators elsewhere.’
Miss Sturgeon announced £2.3million of funding to help unions develop training opportunities in the workplace.
She pledged to work with unions to encourage businesses to commit to paying the ‘real living wage’. She also demanded councils do not cut the amount of ‘facility time’ staff can spend on union duties.
SNP-controlled West Dunbartonshire Council had proposed to cut facility time but dropped the plan. Miss Sturgeon said: ‘Facility time is a vital part of any fair work agenda.’
Mr Leonard will today tell the congress he wants to work with the unions to build a ‘new Scotland’.
He will say: ‘We can reforge the alliance between the industrial and political wings to secure a lasting redistribution of wealth and put power into the hands of the many, not the few.’
Comment – Page 16
‘Misery would be compounded’