Councillors Headshots,Friday,11th May.Glasgow leader Gordon Matheson has become the first Scottish council leader to sign Unite the Union’s Local Government Pledge.

 

The trade union movement is an integral part of the Labour family. It always has been and always will be. Our efforts to make Scotland the most equal country in the world will only be successful if we work in partnership with organised labour.

That is why I was delighted to earlier today become the first Scottish council leader to sign Unite the Union’s “Local Government Pledge.” Once again, Glasgow is leading the way.

Glasgow’s City Council was the first public body in Scotland to introduce the Living Wage. We continue to actively promote it. We insist that any employer who wants to benefit from the wage-subsidy we pay as part of the Glasgow Guarantee must sign up to the Glasgow Living Wage.

We were also the first council in the country to make the payment of the Living Wage, and opposition to blacklisting and exploitative zero hours contracts, a material consideration in our procurement policy.

The Pledge is a statement of our political values and outlines how a Labour administration in Glasgow City Chambers will continue to work with our trade union colleagues to safeguard high quality public services, promote secure and stable jobs, high quality and fair employment policies including equal pay, and ensure that no Council employee is paid less than the Glasgow Living Wage.

2014 has been a wonderful year for Glasgow, in large part made possible by the professionalism and commitment of the dedicated public servants across the council family.

The Pledge is in part a recognition of the work that Glasgow Labour has already done in the city but it is also a statement of intent that we as a Labour movement are restless for further progressive change.

It’s of the nature of our different roles that there will be some tensions along the way, but the Labour Group I lead shares the same determination and passion for social justice as our trade union brothers and sisters. We are part of the same movement.

And with a Labour Government elected to Westminster next year and a revitalised Scottish Labour Party on the road to Bute House in 2017, it is a fight we will win together.

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