SCOTS voters have been urged by Jeremy Corbyn to help Labour get rid of the “vicious” Tory government.
He told the STUC conference in Aviemore yesterday that the forthcoming General Election was not a referendum on Scottish independence but a chance to “transform the lives of Scots”.
“The Scottish people are facing a crucial choice in this election,” he said. “The Tories are trying to use Brexit to turn Britain into a low-wage tax haven, run in the interests of the powerful.
“Labour will negotiate a Brexit that will build on the gains won for workers, consumers and the environment in the EU. We will put jobs, living standards and human rights first.
“The truth is that the Tories and SNP are obsessed with their power struggles against Brussels and Westminster when the energy should be used to change and transform our economy to ensure no-one and no community is left behind.”
Corbyn said a Labour government’s priority would be to repeal the “vicious Tory Trade Union Act”, which was brought in by David Cameron’s government and makes it more difficult for workers to vote to strike.
In addition, he pledged that inquiries would be set up into blacklisting during the miners’ strike and the confrontation at Orgreave between police and pickets. Holyrood would be asked to set up a similar inquiry into the actions of Scottish police during the 1980s strike.
As well as ensuring all workers were paid a real living wage of at least £10 an hour, he said that Labour would protect pensioners by legislating to keep the "triple lock" on state pensions.
A Scottish National Bank would also be created, which would be under Scottish control and backed by the National Investment Bank, with £20 billion of lending power to deliver funds to local projects and Scotland’s small businesses.
Zero-hour contracts would be banned to protect the 60,000 Scottish workers currently with no guaranteed hours.
And all workers would have equal rights, with staff getting first refusal of a takeover if a company faced a change of ownership or closure.
Corbyn promised a Labour government would “aggressively take on the tax avoiders and evaders", saying the first step would be making sure corporations published their tax returns.
As well as working with trade unions and industry to reintroduce sectoral collective bargaining across the UK, the Labour leader said his party would reinstate funding for the Health and Safety Executive, which he said had been “shamefully” cut back by the Tories.
Four new public holidays would also be introduced and public spending would be used “to force a change for good” in working and environmental conditions, equal opportunities and fair pay.
“We will put conditions on the massive public spending budget with private business to ensure no company wins a public contract if they avoid or evade taxes, don’t pay their local suppliers on time or don’t recognise trade unions,” said Corbyn.
“This will benefit Scottish workers and Scottish small businesses currently contracted by the UK Government to the tune of billions of pounds.
“Only us or the Tories can form a government and I implore Scots to fight for the party of progress and not the vicious Tory Party, who alongside their previous coalition partners, the Lib Dems, unleashed an unprecedented attack on working people in this country. The choice facing the country at this election is clear – it’s the people versus the powerful.”
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