CHRIS Stephens became the new SNP MP for Glasgow South West when he ousted Labour’s Ian Davidson on May 7.
Stephens, 42, joined the party at the age of 16 – backing its stance against the poll tax and after he was inspired by Jim Sillars’ 1988 Govan by-election win.
After Highers, he joined Strathclyde Regional Council, which became Glasgow City Council under local authority reorganisation. There he became a senior Unison activist and lead negotiator.
Among his election campaign pledges were to support people and local communities, campaign for humane welfare measures, and to provide access to advice and food security by holding welfare surgeries.
He is a member of the SNP’s National Executive Committee and secretary of the SNP trade union group, assisting in building the party’s profile in the trade union movement.
Workers’ rights are a cause he is keen to fight further for in his new role as MP and he will be challenging the Tory’s Trade Union Bill.
The Bill, announced in the Queen’s Speech, will introduce a 50 per cent voting threshold for union ballot turnouts and retain the requirement for there to be a simple majority of votes in favour. Currently there is no threshold, though unions use their discretion on whether to strike if only a small percentage of members vote.
In addition, the Bill introduces a requirement that 40 per cent of those entitled to vote must be in favour of industrial action in essential public services, such as health, education, fire and transport.
Stephens is a member of the SNP’s social justice group and has set up constituency surgeries for carers who look after disabled family members, holding his first surgery in a care centre in his area last week.
“Carer issues have come to the fore as a result of austerity and they cannot be bracketed off into one category of health or education of social care,” he said. “For carers, time is the shortest commodity. That is why I have taken the approach of going to carer centres where people get together and have specific surgeries to help with their issues.”
He is also involved in a cross-party group at Westminster which is considering how to help former industrial areas recover since the downturn in manufacturing.
“At lot of these areas have suffered significantly since the decline of heavy industry and have not benefitted from the economic recovery,” he said.
“In my constituency shipbuilding used to be the biggest employer, now it is Silverburn shopping centre. While retail, of course, has its place in the economy, it should not be at the expense of manufacturing jobs.”
Stephens is a proud Partick Thistle supporter. He is married to Glasgow City Labour councillor Aileen Colleran.
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