1 SCOTTISH LABOUR MANIFESTO FOR A PROGRESSIVE ECONOMY

SCOTTISH LABOUR MANIFESTOFOR A FAIRER ECONOMY

BOTH VOTES LABOUR

2 SCOTTISH LABOUR MANIFESTO FOR A FAIRER ECONOMY

For the first time, a Scottish Parliament election is dominated by debate about what we will do with the powers we have and the new powers that are now on the statute books. Not the politics of what we can’t do - but the possibilities of what we can.

It is with these new powers that Labour’s historic mission to create a fair economy can be realised and we can break from the conveyor belt of austerity, cuts and job losses.

Labour stands for a fairer economy.

We will ask the richest to pay their fair share, to invest in the future and protect our NHS and public services.

MANIFESTO FOR A FAIRER ECONOMY

Fighting austerity and creating prosperity

Under the SNP our local authorities have seen their budgets cut by over £1.4 billion since 2011, resulting in the loss of countless services and thousands upon thousands of jobs. Faced with the choice between using the powers of the Scottish Parliament to invest in the future of our economy or carrying on with the cuts to public services, Labour will use the powers to stop the cuts.

Our plan

• Labour is the only party committed to an anti-austerity pledge to the people of Scotland. That means that a Labour Government will increase spending on our public services in real terms and stop the cuts to schools and other vital public services.

• To do this we will use the tax powers of the Parliament to make sure the richest in society pay their fair share with a 50p top rate of tax on earnings over £150,000.

• Our pledge to increase spending on public services in real terms underpins every promise made in our manifesto. The failure of other parties to match this pledge undermines every promise in their manifesto – it simply isn’t credible to promise more while accepting billions of pounds of extra austerity.

• We will reform local authority funding to scrap the unfair council tax, devolve additional revenue raising powers and champion a debt amnesty on pre-devolution debt to the Public Works Loans board which cost equivalent to 10p of every pound raised.

Delivering jobs for the future

We have higher ambitions for a growing economy where everyone can work. So our manifesto doesn’t just commit Labour to full employment, it commits us to good employment.

Our plan

• We will create Skills Scotland, in partnership with unions and employers and co-chaired by a nominee of the STUC. This will bring together employment services and skills services, including new powers over the Work Programme. It will give anyone out of work the help they need to move into a job and give everyone in work the help they need to move up.

• We will drive forward a Scottish Industrial Strategy to coordinate Government efforts to secure a future for our traditional industries and manufacturing. Our strategy will also support the investment and skills to develop new industries and emerging markets.

• We will secure the future of the Scottish Agricultural Wages Board which is vitally important to protect workers’ wage levels and conditions, and maintain strong health and safety practices across the farming and horticultural sectors.

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A fairer economyA generation ago Scottish Labour and the Trade Union movement campaigned for a Scottish Parliament. With the new powers that the Parliament has we stand ready to deliver real change and create an economy that is fair for everyone.

Our plan

• No economy can be fair without fair representation of workers’ rights. A Scottish Labour Government will not comply with the abhorrent Trade Union Bill. Instead we will recognise the positive role Trades Unions play by ensuring all public boards have union representation.

• Scottish Labour will use the powers of the Parliament for progressive procurement - meaning no public contracts to blacklisters, tax dodgers or companies not paying a living wage.

• We will create a Living Wage Commission to make progress towards Scotland becoming a Living Wage Nation.

• Labour will lead the way on collective bargaining in using the levers of government where we can influence better wages, for example in the care sector.

Services free from privatisationOur public services are crucial to create thriving, healthy communities. They provide the services we all rely on and are a source of meaningful employment for many. Scottish Labour will protect our public services from privatisation and bring vital services, like trains and CalMac, back into public ownership.

Our plan

• Scottish Labour will protect our NHS from privatisation — we are opposed to the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) and the threat that it poses to public services such as our NHS.

• We want CalMac to remain in public hands. These lifeline services are too important to privatise. We will immediately halt the unnecessary tender of the lifeline Clyde and Hebrides services and take our case to the EU to keep CalMac in the public sector.

• We want all bus services to be run for the benefit of communities, not simply the private profit of a few wealthy individuals. We will regulate Scotland’s buses for democratic control and municipal ownership as happens in the Lothians.

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Business

Labour values businesses and we will work strategically with them to create wealth for Scotland. Labour is committed to ensuring that the power of government helps, rather than constrains, good business. Our plan for business is built on four core ideas:

• Increased productivity• Better connectivity• Simplicity• Certainty

At the heart of this is investment. We commit ourselves to invest in skills and infrastructure over the long term, to develop and reinforce local economies, and to reform our approach to supporting economic growth so we are better resourced and structured to shape the market for the benefit of all, not just the few. We will develop and boost the role of the Scottish Investment Bank – strengthening its capital to support new thinking and invest in Scottish industry, business, and the green and high-tech industries of the future. Productivity in Scotland lags behind the UK and the UK lags behind the best in Europe. Tackling the productivity gap needs investment in education and skills, investment in production, business practice and investment in science, research and collaboration. A Scottish Labour Government will set the framework for a significant advance in productivity. We will undertake a thorough review of non-domestic rates to make the system more transparent, predictable and streamlined, including mandatory revaluation every three years. We will preserve the exemption for small businesses and explore the case for

extension to locally important social enterprises and community organisations such as small local and regional newspapers, and worker co-operatives. We will monitor the effectiveness of the scheme to ensure it provides good value for taxpayers’ money. We will invest in Co-operative Development Scotland. The internet and new technology are making business more efficient, providing access to new markets and improving collaboration. But with connection rates at 75%, Scotland lags behind the rest of the UK. We will make the provision of superfast broadband, in islands and rural areas as well as towns and cities, a national infrastructure priority. We will invest £500 million over the lifetime of the next Parliament. We will establish ultrafast broadband zones for digital and creative industries with speeds of 1GB/s. As a result, no business in Scotland will go without access to a 10MB/s broadband connection. We will introduce a Digital Services Bill, making us a world leader in e-government, simplifying the relationship between government and business and boosting Scottish IT businesses. In a digital era, Scots have high standards for the service they receive. Dealing with the Government should be no exception. A Labour Government will ensure higher standards and a better client experience for Scots and Scottish business when they interact with government. We will also guarantee quality and timeliness in the delivery of services.

5 SCOTTISH LABOUR MANIFESTO FOR A PROGRESSIVE ECONOMY

Printed & Promoted by Brian Roy, Scottish General Secretary, Scottish Labour Party, 290 Bath Street, Glasgow, G2 4RE