So many people have played a part in getting us through the last year. We owe so much to our frontline staff and workers who have gone to work every day to deliver other lifeline services; and all those who have had to adapt to working from home, often home-schooling children at the same time.
Covid-19 changed the way we work almost overnight. As we recover from the pandemic, we want to do more to support people achieve a healthy work-life balance. We also want to keep the total number of people in employment high.
As part of this, we will establish a £10 million fund to allow companies to pilot and explore the benefits of a four day working week. We will use the learning from this to consider a more general shift to a four day working week as and when Scotland gains full control of employment rights. We will also identify additional employment opportunities and assess the economic impact of moving to a four day week.
More widely, the SNP will support a review – in partnership with trade unions and businesses – of how working practices could and should be adapted to meet the needs of the future economy
As we continue to drive down community transmission rates of COVID-19, the Scottish Government’s guidance to all who can work from home is that they should continue to work from home.
The Scottish Government have published an updated testing strategy for Scotland. It provides more details of the testing that is already in place for workers in key public services.
The recent Scottish budget passed at Holyrood delivers an additional £800 for public sector workers earning up to £25,000, and introduced a 2% pay uplift for those earning over £25,000 up to £40,000. The SNP has gone further on delivering a progressive, fair deal for public sector workers, recognising their remarkable contribution during the pandemic.
The SNP’s progressive pay policy stands in contrast to the devastating public sector pay freeze in England.
Fiona Hyslop