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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
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Party
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Education
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Labour
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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
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SNP
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Access to a fully qualified nursery teacher
for every nursery age child
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Liberal Democrats
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1000 extra teachers
Improve training across all parts of the
early years' workforce.
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Conservatives
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Head teachers to be responsible for continued
professional development for teaching staff.
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Green Party
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Advanced training and qualifications and
decent pay for classroom assistants and learning assistants
Advanced training and qualifications and
decent pay for nursery nurses
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Scottish Socialist Party
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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.
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Solidarity
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Party
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PPP/PFI
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Labour
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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.
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SNP
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Continue with PPP/PFI and set up Scottish
Futures a not-for -profit trust as an option
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Liberal Democrats
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Conservatives
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Green Party
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Block use of PFI for new infrastructure
schemes and develop municipal bonds to pay for schools
and hospitals and public infrastructure
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Scottish Socialist Party
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Cancel all current PFI and PPP contract
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Solidarity
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End to PFI and PPP contracts
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Party
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Housing Stock Transfer
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Labour
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Greater choice about management operations
for tenants who choose to remain within local authority
housing provision
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SNP
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Liberal Democrats
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Conservatives
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Encourage transfer of LA housing to Housing
Association, area by area not all at once. Housing allocation
powers to be transferred to local government.
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Green Party
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Stock transfer decisions are for tenants.
End to debt write-off inducements. Second stage transfer
must be delivered on a clear timetable.
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Scottish Socialist Party
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Cancel housing debt for local authorities
not just those who transfer housing stock
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Solidarity
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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
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Party
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Local Government Finance
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Labour
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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.
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SNP
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Local Income Tax on every earner in a household
but set nationally at 3p
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Liberal Democrats
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Local Income Tax on every earner in a household
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Conservatives
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Council tax but pensioner to pay half
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Green Party
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Land value Tax
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Scottish Socialist Party
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Scottish Service Tax on every earner in
a household
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Solidarity
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Scottish Service Tax on every earner in
a household
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Party
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Social work
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Labour
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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
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SNP
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Liberal Democrats
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Conservatives
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Green Party
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Scottish Socialist Party
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Solidarity
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Party
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Health
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Labour
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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
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SNP
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Increase the number of NHS physiotherapists
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Liberal Democrats
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Recruit an extra 2000 nurses. Further specialisation
of role in the nursing profession.
Consider the case for improving financial
support for student nurses
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Conservatives
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Green Party
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Scottish Socialist Party
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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
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Solidarity
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Party
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Scottish Water
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Labour
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Scottish Water to remain publicly owned
and accountable
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SNP
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Liberal Democrats
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Conservatives
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Mutualise following the same model as Wales
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Green Party
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Oppose privatisation and mutualisation of
Scottish water
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Scottish Socialist Party
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Reverse the part privatisation of water
and sewerage and Scotland's water supply to be municipalised
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Solidarity
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Introduce a bill to put Scottish water "firmly
under the control of the people" and abolish domestic
water charges
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Party
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Energy
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Labour
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Energy policy will consider all forms of
power including nuclear
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SNP
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No new nuclear power stations
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Liberal Democrats
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Scotland does not need new nuclear power
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Conservatives
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Wouldn't oppose new nuclear power station
in Scotland
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Green Party
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Oppose any new nuclear power stations and
extending the licenses of those currently operating.
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Scottish Socialist Party
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No to new nuclear power plants and clear
timetable for decommissioning those currently in operation
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Solidarity
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Party
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Careers Scotland
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Labour
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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.
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SNP
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Align Careers Scotland more closely with
education sectors
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Liberal Democrats
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Merge Careers Scotland and Learn Direct
Scotland
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Conservatives
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New Scottish Skills Agency incorporating
Careers Scotland with the skills function of Scottish
Enterprise working with business community.
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Green Party
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Scottish Socialist Party
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Solidarity
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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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