Barely a day goes by without another report on the impact of cuts on local services, as councils start the difficult process of managing yet another round of cuts.
Today, I was speaking at Scottish…Read more…
Protecting our pensions and saving the planet
Pensions are meant to safeguard our future, but that future is threatened by the burning of carbon in fossil fuels like coal, oil and gas. It’s also a poor investment, which is why there is a growing…Read more…
Happy New Year!
Happy New Year!
A brisk walk along the beach to clear my head from the excesses of last night, leads to reflections on 2017 and thoughts for the year ahead.
The UK general election was obviously…Read more…
Councils are not getting a ‘good deal’
The Cabinet Secretary for Finance Derek Mackay says he has delivered a “good deal” for Scottish councils in the local government budget settlement. Well that’s a relief! Or it would be if it was…Read more…
Budget hangover
To use a seasonal analogy, some of us may be feeling the after effects of the office party. Well, the Scottish budget could have a similar effect on public finances later next year.
I have outlined…Read more…
Eliminating fuel poverty requires more than a process
As the statutory target to eliminate fuel poverty in Scotland has come and gone, will a new strategy do any better?
The Scottish Government has published a consultation paper on a new fuel poverty…Read more…
UK Budget fall out
I set out our immediate reaction to the UK Budget in Briefing 91 on Wednesday. In the light of day, the numbers are if anything slightly worse, although a real terms revenue cut of £199m, remains the…Read more…
Brexit impact on real wages
A new analysis published today by the LSE Centre for Economic Performance shows that real wages have taken a hit since Brexit and Scotland is amongst the hardest hit areas of the UK.
The EU…Read more…
Britain needs a pay rise
Today is the seventh month in a row that prices have gone up faster than wages. The Chancellor needs to wake up next week – Britain needs a pay rise.
As this chart from the Resolution Foundation…Read more…
Health impact of shift working
The health impact of shift working is not well understood. We need more research and better risk assessment to protect workers.
The numbers of staff working shifts is increasing and there has been…Read more…
Wealth Tax in Scotland: How it can be done
Richard Leonard’s proposed Wealth Tax has attracted some comment on its legality. Here is a guest post from Thompsons Partner Patrick McGuire, setting out why he believes the tax is sound in policy,…Read more…
Raising the standard of residential care
We need to put dignity and respect at the heart of the residential care system. That means better care for residents and supporting the workers who care for them.
I was in the Scottish Parliament…Read more…
Why I am voting for Richard Leonard
Scottish Labour needs an authentic voice as its new Leader, that’s why I am supporting Richard Leonard.
Unless you have been hibernating, you will have noticed that the voters have moved on from…Read more…
100 public service workers assaulted every day in Scotland
42,400 recorded incidents of violence towards public sector workers in Scotland last year is a shocking figure – over 100 incidents every day. What’s even more shocking is that this is just the tip…Read more…
Big decisions on energy policy, but we must be bolder
There is no shortage of activity on energy policy and we haven’t even heard the outcome of the Scottish Government’s energy strategy consultation.
Let’s start with fracking. The Scottish Government…Read more…
Improving the governance of public bodies
Scotland’s public services are administered by some 200 public bodies. Most of these are run by boards that make the key decisions on the majority of public spending in our country. This means we…Read more…
Funding, not more quangos will improve care integration
The implementation of health and care integration won’t be achieved on the cheap. While there should be long-term savings and better care from a shift to community services, it will take time to…Read more…
Why John McDonnell’s PFI pledge is welcome and affordable
John McDonnell caused a stir yesterday with his pledge to bring Private Finance Initiative (PFI) contracts back in house. Commentators who bandy about huge sums of money to pay for this commitment…Read more…
Health & safety and the ageing workforce
With twice as many people working past the State Pension Age, we need to give proper attention to the health and safety implications of the changing workforce.
I have highlighted before our research…Read more…
Barclay review of non-domestic tax rates: ministerial response – gov.scot
https://beta.gov.scot/publications/barclay-review-report-ministerial-response/
Dave Watson
Scottish Organiser
UNISON Scotland
14 West Campbell Street
Glasgow
G2 6RXRead more…