Scottish Socialist Party launches 2015 manifesto
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April 16, 2015 – Scottish Socialist Party, posted at Links International Journal of Socialist Renewal – A commitment to a £10 an hour minimum living wage for all, defiance of austerity and the eradication of insecure zero-hour contracts are at the heart of the Scottish Socialist Party’s manifesto, launched today at the Augustine Church in Edinburgh.
On the demand for a £10 an hour living wage, to be implemented immediately:
“The other parties contesting these elections may cry crocodile tears about this widening divergence in earnings between working people and their bosses but they stand full square behind the neoliberal economic system that manufactures such inequalities. A competitive, modern Scottish economy cannot be constructed on slave wages.”
Other measures proposed include vastly expanded carer rights:
“We believe carers should receive a living wage. After all carers contribute 10 billion pounds in unpaid care. We know many carers work over 60 hours a week. As a start, we would fund 40 hours a week at the rate of a living wage. We call for every school to have a young carer’s worker to offer practical support. For older young carers we call for added support when applying for further education and employment.”
A powerful demand to rescind the anti-trade union laws brought in by Margaret Thatcher.
“The Tories want to make it impossible to exercise the right to withdraw your labour in defence of wages, jobs or rights at work. No other party has pledged to repeal these anti-trade union laws. The SSP will work with the Scottish Trade Union Congress in campaigning for the Scottish Parliament to have the powers to implement a Charter of Workers’ Rights”
These are all detailed in our manifesto – the SSP’s cause condensed into an unapologetic text to the party’s thinking – which we bring to you, free of charge to download HERE or read on screen below.
Competitive economy
SSP: "A competitive, modern Scottish economy cannot be constructed on slave wages.”
Au contraire. Slave wages are the entirely predictable consequence of economic competition between nation States. If the Scottish Socialist Party wants to keep the middle word of its name, it needs to embrace the international solidarity of workers rather than the international competition of the capitalists.