Workers rights are central to the Scottish independence argument

The National

02-05-2025

A much-needed and well-deserved break that is now so easy to take for granted.
As I write this, on May Day, I am reminded that it is workers and their trade unions who we need to thank for having weekends, bank holidays and downtime from our jobs.
Without the action of the workers and trade unions of yesteryear, it is likely that we wouldn't have the hard-won rights enshrined in law that ensure we all get breaks, rest days and holidays.
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Today, the idea of anyone opposing our right to time off may seem ridiculous, but throughout history the boss class has opposed every progressive change that workers have fought for.
We still see pushback happening when there are calls from workers and unions for demands like higher wages or better parental leave policies. Progress is slow, and we must see more being done to improve working conditions.
One of the greatest frustrations of devolution is that employment law is still reserved to Westminster, despite calls from Scottish Greens, the SNP and the Scottish Trade Union Congress to have these powers in Holyrood. This means that, while we have the ability to demand better, our parliament doesn't have the levers to make the decisions that affect our workers.
The UK Government's Employment Rights Bill is currently going through the Westminster parliament. It promises to improve conditions for workers and trade unions to help more people stay in work. It also promises to end zero-hours contracts and bring fair pay for a day's work.
But Scotland has very little say in how it will be implemented, how it will affect us, or how we could change it to suit our situation here.
The bill has scheduled plans to abolish parts of the Tories' 2016 Trade Union Act, which restricts and scapegoats trade unions, but it will keep much of Thatcher's anti-trade union legislation that has been limiting workers' rights for decades.
If we are to build a better future for workers then we don't only need to scrap the 2016 restrictions, we also need to expand bargaining rights and support workers in struggle.
Trade unions who work tirelessly deserve our support and the opportunity to secure better pay and conditions for everyone.
Our vision for Scotland's workers is one that tackles low wages by offering everyone a real living wage, including scrapping age bands for the minimum wage so that everyone is offered a fair pay regardless of their age. Energy and utility bills are not age-banded. Rents are not age-banded. So why should your pay be?
With independence, we could do so much more to empower trade unions and workers in struggle, particularly in commonly under-represented sectors, such as care where the vast majority of the workforce are women. This would help to secure real improvements in working conditions and pay.
But our ambitions must exceed individual workplaces. We also need to change the system and transform what we really mean by work.
A two-day weekend may be the norm, but it isn't exactly a great work-life balance. We just recently had the Easter Bank Holiday, when workers had a long weekend and businesses didn't crumble because of a reduced week. We want to introduce a standard four-day week, which many employers and sectors are beginning to adopt.
Within the Scottish Greens, we have already adopted this model and staff are reporting less stress, and more control over their lives. Four-day weeks boost productivity as workers feel their time is better valued. Because they are less stressed, they have fewer sick days and get more done when they are at work.
Four-day weeks allow people to have more flexibility in their work. It helps us manage our health appointments, our homes and our social lives outside of work. It could be the next great reform.
Four-day weeks allow for a variety of times to be covered without burning people out. For some workplaces which open seven days per week, there will certainly be staff ready to cover weekends while others prefer to work mid-week.
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This model also allows parents to balance work and family life, by reducing childcare needs which can lead to financial savings for families struggling to pay such high fees simply to go to work.
This is not an exhaustive list of the fundamental changes we could make if Scotland had the powers to deliver employment law. We cannot continue to wait for Labour to make the choices for us and our workforce. Scotland's workers deserve better now.
I spent much of this last week at the STUC's annual congress in Dundee. Trade unionists came together from around Scotland to discuss a range of issues, from health and safety at work and precarious jobs to global solidarity with workers facing oppression around the world.
The workers' movement has always been a movement for the future. Workers have taken action not only to improve their own conditions but to ensure that future generations do not have to endure what previous ones have.
Workers' rights must be at the heart of our vision for independence, but also for the fairer, greener and brighter future that we build.