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About the P&I Team Briefings Home | Responses | PFI Index | Policy Guide
Election 2007 - Briefing No 156
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Election 2007 - Briefing No 156

April 2007

Scottish Parliament and Local Government Elections May 3rd 2007

Introduction

High quality public services are central to the quality of life of Scotland's citizens and its economy. As the people who deliver public services UNISON is encouraging members to use their vote on the 3rd of May to determine the future direction of those services. The Policy and Information Team have produced a booklet outlining UNISON's agenda for revitalising public services and two manifestos for local government and the environment available from the Policy and Information Team. There are also a wide range of briefings covering many of the key election issues from a UNISON perspective for example the Council tax debate see Briefing 123.

This briefing gives an indication of some of the policy proposals affecting UNISON members' workplaces in party manifestos. All party manifestos are available from their respective websites should you require more information. A blank square indicates that the party manifesto contains no comment on the issue concerned

Party

Education

Labour

Establish a task force working with unions on further steps needed to get stronger recognition and integration of school support staff. Explore how to improve their qualifications, career pathways and personal development and consider the implications of this for pay and conditions

Continuing professional development for all school staff.

Sunrise Agenda: start the process of substantially improving the qualifications, career structure and rewards for early years and childcare workers

By 2011 every early years and childcare facility to be led by an early years professional

SNP

Access to a fully qualified nursery teacher for every nursery age child

Liberal Democrats

1000 extra teachers

Improve training across all parts of the early years' workforce.

Conservatives

Head teachers to be responsible for continued professional development for teaching staff.

Green Party

Advanced training and qualifications and decent pay for classroom assistants and learning assistants

Advanced training and qualifications and decent pay for nursery nurses

Scottish Socialist Party

Democratic and egalitarian restructuring of schools with plenary staff decision making and flattened pay scales

An £8.00 per hour minimum wage for all education workers and right to holiday pay of benefits during term time.

Solidarity

 

 

Party

PPP/PFI

Labour

Review PPP to ensure a level playing field between PPP and conventional borrowing.

Aim to exclude soft facilities management from future PPP contracts

Review the implementation of PPP staffing protocol ensure that procurement take into account much more than price and considers good employment conditions and socially acceptable environmentally friendly and local procurement options.

SNP

Continue with PPP/PFI and set up Scottish Futures a not-for -profit trust as an option

Liberal Democrats

 

Conservatives

 

Green Party

Block use of PFI for new infrastructure schemes and develop municipal bonds to pay for schools and hospitals and public infrastructure

Scottish Socialist Party

Cancel all current PFI and PPP contract

Solidarity

End to PFI and PPP contracts

 

 

Party

Housing Stock Transfer

Labour

Greater choice about management operations for tenants who choose to remain within local authority housing provision

SNP

 

Liberal Democrats

 

Conservatives

Encourage transfer of LA housing to Housing Association, area by area not all at once. Housing allocation powers to be transferred to local government.

Green Party

Stock transfer decisions are for tenants. End to debt write-off inducements. Second stage transfer must be delivered on a clear timetable.

Scottish Socialist Party

Cancel housing debt for local authorities not just those who transfer housing stock

Solidarity

Cancel housing debt for local authorities not just those who transfer housing stock. Housing Association tenant to be given right to vote to return to LA control

 

Party

Local Government Finance

Labour

Reformed fairer council tax: increase uptake of Council Tax Benefit reduce water and sewerage charges for pensioners by 50% within two years further reductions will follow.

SNP

Local Income Tax on every earner in a household but set nationally at 3p

Liberal Democrats

Local Income Tax on every earner in a household

Conservatives

Council tax but pensioner to pay half

Green Party

Land value Tax

Scottish Socialist Party

Scottish Service Tax on every earner in a household

 

Solidarity

Scottish Service Tax on every earner in a household

 

Party

Social work

Labour

Implement Changing Lives report into social work to ensure that all staff are better managed, supported and equipped and empowered to undertake their difficult tasks

SNP

 

Liberal Democrats

 

Conservatives

 

Green Party

 

Scottish Socialist Party

 

Solidarity

 

 

Party

Health

Labour

Work with trade unions and to continue improving career opportunities and the retention of NHS staff. Consider salaried student nurses

Value and support the professional NHS cleaners catering and administrative staff who play an important role in ensuring that the health service meets the needs of patients. Cleaning to be an important consideration in the review of new contracts and make it a presumption that in-house cleaning services are the norm

SNP

Increase the number of NHS physiotherapists

Liberal Democrats

Recruit an extra 2000 nurses. Further specialisation of role in the nursing profession.

Consider the case for improving financial support for student nurses

Conservatives

 

Green Party

 

Scottish Socialist Party

End to private catering and cleaning contract

Living income for student nurses

Free childcare for NHS shift workers

Staff employed by private contractors to be brought back to NHS employment with NHS pay and conditions

Solidarity

 

 

Party

Scottish Water

Labour

Scottish Water to remain publicly owned and accountable

SNP

 

Liberal Democrats

 

Conservatives

Mutualise following the same model as Wales

Green Party

Oppose privatisation and mutualisation of Scottish water

Scottish Socialist Party

Reverse the part privatisation of water and sewerage and Scotland's water supply to be municipalised

Solidarity

Introduce a bill to put Scottish water "firmly under the control of the people" and abolish domestic water charges

 

Party

Energy

Labour

Energy policy will consider all forms of power including nuclear

SNP

No new nuclear power stations

Liberal Democrats

Scotland does not need new nuclear power

Conservatives

Wouldn't oppose new nuclear power station in Scotland

Green Party

Oppose any new nuclear power stations and extending the licenses of those currently operating.

Scottish Socialist Party

No to new nuclear power plants and clear timetable for decommissioning those currently in operation

Solidarity

 

 

 

Party

Careers Scotland

Labour

Improved all years careers services, strengthening connections between local authorities, employers and schools.

Schools support staff part-time workers and low skilled workers to develop their skills expand existing partnership agreements between Learn Direct Scotland and unions to promote work based training.

SNP

Align Careers Scotland more closely with education sectors

Liberal Democrats

Merge Careers Scotland and Learn Direct Scotland

Conservatives

New Scottish Skills Agency incorporating Careers Scotland with the skills function of Scottish Enterprise working with business community.

Green Party

 

Scottish Socialist Party

 

Solidarity

 

 

Conclusion

Branches are encourage to use all the material provided by the Policy and Information Team to ensure that members us their votes to protect public services. Independent research by the Centre for Public Policy for Regions (CPPR) shows that there will be significant pressure on public spending in Scotland in the next few years based on their analysis of party manifesto commitments. All parties are basing their spending plans on hopes of efficiency savings in current spending. Researchers warned that efficiency savings sound attractive but Audit Scotland warned earlier this year efficiency drives can mean cuts in services.

 

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Further Information

UNISON's Revitalise campaign
www.unison-scotland.org.uk/revitalise/index.html.

Policy and Information Team pages
www.unison-scotland.org.uk/briefings/piteam.html

Scottish Labour Party
www.scottishlabour.org.uk/

Scottish National Party
www.snp.org/

Scottish Liberal Democrats
www.scotlibdems.org.uk/

Scottish Green Party
www.scottishgreens.org.uk/

Scottish Conservative Party
www.scottishconservatives.com/

Scottish Socialist Party
www.scottishsocialistparty.org/

Solidarity
www.solidarityscotland.org/

Contacts:

Kay Sillars
k.sillars@unison.co.uk

Dave Watson
d.watson@unison.co.uk

P&I Team
14 West Campbell Street
Glasgow G2 6RX
Tel: 0845 355 0845
Fax: 0141 221 8953