This petition emerged as part of the Scottish Youth Parliament (SYP)’s Youth Manifesto consultation in 2011. The manifesto, ‘Change the Picture’ (http://www.syp.org.uk/our-manifesto-W21page-82-/) was shaped by 42,804 responses from young people, the largest youth consultation of its type in Scotland. 76% of respondents agreed with the statement “To tackle in-work poverty, the Scottish Government should set up a recognition scheme for employers that pay a Scottish Living Wage of at least £7 per hour to all employees, which is regularly reviewed to make sure it is meeting minimum income standards”, with just 10% disagreeing. Based on this strong support, the statement is included in the manifesto, which shapes the basis of the SYP’s policy and campaigning work for the 2011-16 Parliamentary term.
[N.B. The figure of £7 per hour was consistent with the Living Wage at the time the consultation was conducted and was included for illustrative purposes. The SYP supports the Living Wage, as calculated by the Centre for Research in Social Policy (http://www.crsp.ac.uk/projects/living_wage.htm)]
The decision to campaign for the Living Wage as a national priority was taken following a vote of SYP’s full membership at our AGM in June 2012. Our campaign, ‘One Fair Wage’ was launched in September 2012. Whilst our ultimate aspiration is a Scotland where everyone, no matter how old they are, earns a Scottish Living Wage that’s based on how much it costs to live, we recognise that minimum wage legislation is a matter reserved to the UK Parliament and is not on the political agenda in the short term. Our aims for the short and medium term build on the already strong support from MSPs and Councils to move to persuade businesses to become Living Wage employers, and to campaign for a Scottish Government recognition scheme for Living Wage employers.
Since the launch of One Fair Wage, our MSYPs have secured pledges of support from over 50 Councillors; 25 MSPs and MPs including all Scottish Green Party elected officials; Save the Children and UNISON; and local businesses such as Govan Law Centre and Money Matters Advice Centre. With several other meetings planned in the near future we are confident our list of supporters will continue to grow, and businesses will be persuaded to become Living Wage employers. In addition, since the launch of the campaign, several local authorities have committed to becoming Living Wage employers, and following COSLA’s recent proposal to increase the basic rate of pay for local government staff (http://www.cosla.gov.uk/news/2012/11/scottish-councils-end-pay-freeze), it is looking increasing likely that by the start of the 2013-14 financial year, all public sector employees in Scotland will be paid at least a fair, equal Living Wage.
SYP submitted organisational responses to the Scottish Government’s Procurement Reform Bill consultation (http://www.syp.org.uk/img/consultations/Procurement%20Reform%20Bill_SYP%20Response.pdf) and John Park MSP’s Living Wage (Scotland) Bill consultation (http://www.syp.org.uk/img/consultations/Living%20Wage%20Bill_SYP%20Response.pdf) recommending in both that the Scottish Government establish a Scottish Living Wage recognition scheme as part of efforts to increase the number of employers paying a Living Wage.
The Scottish Youth Parliament is submitting this petition as the next stage in our One Fair Wage campaign.