THE SNP has challenged the Labour party to commit to devolving employment laws to Holyrood.
It comes after it was reported on Tuesday that Scotland has become the UK hotspot for the use of zero-hours contracts at 4.1% — compared with 3.6% in England, 3.2% in Wales and 1.5% in Northern Ireland.
The SNP’s leader in Westminster, Stephen Flynn, previously said it was Westminster control of employment law which had allowed zero-hours contracts to flourish in Scotland despite “widespread” opposition.
He also wrote to Keir Starmer in both January and June this year to reiterate his desire to see the Scottish Parliament take control of the law on workers’ rights and trade unions. The party says it is yet to receive a reply.
Roz Foyer, the general secretary of the Scottish Trades Union Congress, has also repeatedly called for the Scottish Parliament to be given control of employment law.
Now, the SNP’s social justice spokesperson, David Linden, warned that if the Labour leader fails to consider devolving employment laws to Holyrood, “people in Scotland won’t take him or his party seriously”.
He added: “The Labour party have worked hand-in-glove with the Tories to block the devolution of employment law to Scotland for years.
“However, with draconian legislation like the EU Retained Law Bill and the Anti-Strike Bill passed through the UK Parliament earlier this year, it’s clear that protecting workers’ rights is more important than ever.
“If senior Labour politicians are serious about tackling employment issues, then they should commit to devolving employment law to Holyrood immediately. “Failure to do so will mean people in Scotland won’t take him or his party seriously – and rightly so.
"While the SNP will always stand up for workers’ rights against Westminster attacks, ultimately, Scotland needs the full powers of independence to guarantee, protect and strengthen those rights.”
