The Herald
Scotland's main trade unions have joined forces and told Labour party comrades that they want a commission to look at new powers at Holyrood to handle energy, immigration, and consumer protection.
The unions held a private meeting with Jack McConnell during the party conference in Aviemore at the weekend, and set out their case for a radical, left-wing manifesto.
The unprecedented joint strategy, called A Workplace Agenda 2007, is intended to influence Labour's thinking as it draws up plans for next year's Holyrood elections, and carries considerable weight, given the clout unions have in party affairs and funding.
It includes an extensive wish list to protect union members' interests, but also ranges across other policy areas.
The proposed commission on extra powers for the Scottish Parliament is also to look at the potential for control over equal opportunities, health and safety, broadcasting, drugs, firearms, council tax benefit, and gaming.
While the first minister and Scottish Labour leader has also suggested the party looks at additional powers, he has run into firm opposition from colleagues at Westminster, who would make the decision on changes to the Scotland Act.
The unions – led by Unison, which represents public sector workers – want Labour MSPs to reverse their opposition to free school meals and free prescription charges.
Their most expensive proposals are for free full-time childcare and renationalisation of the railways.
Unions also want employers to be forced to take out a skills and training bond and pay a lifelong learning levy, providing a statutory minimum amount of training each year for all employees.
There is a challenge to the thrust of the Scottish Executive's current moves towards council reform, undermining local authorities' autonomy with the threat of wholesale re-organisation after next year's election.
"There should be parity of esteem between the executive and local government, through the development of a new concordat that recognises the democratic legitimacy of both," says the document.
The unions are also calling for quangos such as health boards to have directly-elected boards. Where that cannot be achieved, they want councillors and staff representatives to become board members.
In response to dirty hospitals, they want cleaning contracts brought in-house.
Herald Letters
According to Douglas Fraser (February 28), the leaders of Scottish trade unions have gone cap in hand to wee Jack to ask for more. And Jack has turned to them and said: "I'd like ti help ye, brothers, but the lads at the Big Hoose, doon London, willnae let me."
Interesting how among the bureaucrats' demands is support for "free school meals and free prescription charges" which the Scottish Socialists have laid down bills for in this parliament and will continue to do so in the next, I assume. Are these the same Socialists that Douglas Fraser dismissed, in December, as "yet to establish whether they can be taken seriously "? Seems that the trade-union leaders do take the SSP seriously, even if the Fourth Estate once again pile in to proclaim their premature demise.
I pray for the day when the scales fall from the unions' eyes and they refuse to continue to bankroll such a rotten organisation that pays no heed to their concerns but perpetuates the continued immiseration of people, young and old, the length and breadth of the country.
Sean Hurl, 17 Roffey Park Road, Oldhall, Paisley.
I am glad to hear that unions are at last uniting behind a radical manifesto. This programme of free childcare, school meals and prescription charges, as well as the renationalisation of the railways, is exactly my domestic priority that I campaign on as a member of the Scottish Socialist Party.
As a member of Unison, I am looking forward to notification that it is about to follow the example of the RMT – affliating to the SSP, rather than the Labour Party, which is currently trying to get rid of the pension rights of Unison members.
Mhairi McAlpine, 225 Lomond Drive, Langlees, Falkirk.
