Let’s get back to work plea
NICOLA Sturgeon faces growing demands from business to reopen offices and get Scots back to work.
In talks held last week, business leaders representing tens of thousands of workers warned that the Scottish Government must ‘accelerate’ its plans.
They said that the First Minister’s ‘caution’ is holding back the economic recovery and putting jobs and companies at risk.
Ms Sturgeon is expected to confirm that Scotland’s ‘freedom day’ will be on August 9 – three weeks after England – with most restrictions lifted.
She has also previously pushed back the phased return of offices to that date, having initially said it would start on July 19. Many businesses are desperate to see offices back up and running – with the move also key to city centre shops, pubs and restaurants, which have been badly hit by 18 months of working from home. Business leaders made this point to officials in a meeting of the City Centre Recovery Taskforce last week. The Scottish Chambers of Commerce, which represents more than 12,000 companies, fears Ministers are not moving fast enough.
Chief executive Liz Cameron said: ‘The ongoing delay to reopening offices is adding further pressure to the recovery of Scottish cities. Aberdeen and Glasgow remain in the bottom ten among UK cities for footfall and spend.
‘The Scottish Government must recognise that employers have spent millions in creating Covidsafe environments. On August 9, the business community expects a green light for offices to reopen.’
Retailers, who have lost an estimated £4.5 billion in sales over the course of the pandemic, want to see a stimulus scheme similar to the one planned in Northern Ireland, where adults will get £100 in vouchers to spend on the high street. David Lonsdale, director of the Scottish Retail Consortium, said: ‘Shopper footfall is recovering, but still languishes over a quarter below pre-pandemic times.’
Colin Wilkinson, managing director of the Scottish Licensed Trade Association, added: ‘We are very concerned about city centres. Our message to the Scottish Government is that you have to have a campaign to get people back.’
Leon Thompson, executive director Scotland of UK Hospitality, said: ‘The message of caution is holding things up. We need the Scottish Government, its agencies and local authorities to start returning workers to offices.
‘They are major employers with key sites in our city centres and can make a difference between business survival and closure.’