WORKING people are seeking urgent change after 13 years of Tory attacks on working people and the trade union movement.

The Tories are presiding over a cost-of-living crisis, with many turning to strike action to demand fair pay, defend their jobs and to protect their terms and conditions at work.

Yet instead of engaging in good faith with these workers to support them with the rising cost of living, the Tories have attacked working people and their unions and passed legislation attacking the right to strike itself.

Despite the Scottish Government’s self-proclaimed championing of fair work principles, workers in Scotland are not faring any better.

It was recently revealed that some workers employed in the Scottish Courts and Tribunal Service are on zero-hours contracts despite a Scottish Government pledge to end the use of such contracts almost five years ago.

Scottish ministers have failed to engage constructively with firefighters, college lecturers, school support and local government workers who have taken strike action.

Companies with poor records on workers’ rights, like Amazon, have also been awarded with millions in public grants by the Scottish Government.

While the Scottish Government continues to call for the devolution of employment law, it should reflect on whether it is using all the powers currently available to it deliver for working people.

Scottish Labour supports devolution of employment law with a UK-wide minimum standard of workers’ rights that cannot be undercut.

However, the current Tory government is unlikely to devolve employment law to Scotland, which means the election of a Labour government is the most likely route to transforming workers’ rights across Scotland.

Labour’s New Deal for Working People will be implemented in legislation within 100 days of the election of a Labour government.

The New Deal for Working People will see an end to the Tories’ anti-union and anti-worker legislation.

Practices like zero hour contracts and fire and rehire practices will be banned.

Sick pay and parental leave will be strengthened.

The minimum wage will be increased to become a living wage for all workers.

And all workers will gain unfair dismissal rights from day one of employment.

TUC General Secretary Paul Novak has described Labour’s New Deal for Working People as “the biggest upgrade in workers’ rights in a generation” – and he is right.

For working people, the choice at the next UK General Election could not be clearer.

Five more years of a Tory cost-of-living crisis coupled with continued attacks on workers’ rights and trade unions.

Or a Labour government which will deliver a truly transformative package of workers’ rights to benefit working people across the whole of the UK.