South Lanarkshire Update



Equality issues and the fight for equal pay

Issues of equality and social justice have been high on my agenda over the the election campaign.

On the Saturday of the largest ever SNP Conference, possibly the largest party political conference ever held in Scotland, three thousand delegates heard Nicola Sturgeon deliver a tremendous speech, setting out a clear progressive agenda for the May election.

Conference Sunday started less well, with a proposal to address gender imbalance among SNP MSPs coming in for criticism. Conference overwhelmingly voted to give the Executive power to instruct all-female shortlists where an SNP MSP is standing down. While the result was welcome, a challenge to such a modest proposal emphasises how much more needs to be done to promote equality.

Next, came a review of some issues that may come up in hustings during the campaign. One of the first highlighted was Lanarkshire Labour's abysmal record on Equal Pay. This is of particular interest, because, as a union representative, I have been heavily involved in issues of equal pay, bullying, and discrimination.

While familiarising myself with my opponents' position on the issue, I had my attention drawn to two posts on social media by a Unison and Labour activist (my emphasis in both) working on Labour's East Kilbride campaign:

  • "Equal Pay Act passed 44 years ago - women still earn 81p for every pound a man earns"
  • "not surprised by this, women still have to justify equal pay"
Of course, these tweets are correct.

But, while there are employers willing to invest millions of pounds fighting against equal pay it will be extremely difficult for women’s pay to catch up with that of men. Yet, that is exactly what both Labour-run Lanarkshire Councils did for many years.

South Lanarkshire finally lost its battle in the Supreme Court and was forced into a £70 million payout, the details of which it is determined to conceal. For three years my Labour opponent was Deputy Leader of the Council while it ran this rear-guard action against pay equality.

The link between Trade Unions and Labour was, and is, a positive force. However, too often, it has been turned against Trade Unions, with Labour demanding the right to govern, free from criticism, while taking decisions trade unions would strongly oppose if taken by any other political party. I am amazed to see active Trade Unionists promote a Labour candidate with such a poor track record on an equalities issue that should have been settled many years ago.

I joined millions across Scotland and the UK in marvelling at the ease with which Nicola Sturgeon took on Westminster's big guns. Apart from the tremendous response in terms of new members for the SNP, it is clear that her message, and that of the SNP has found strong resonance elsewhere in the UK.

Her message of hope and progress, backed by two other female leaders against a phalanx of male leaders defending austerity, might mark a turning point in the debate about the way forward economically for Scotland, and, indeed, for the UK.

Scotland, and the UK, need change. It is increasingly clear that change will never come from Westminster – but it can be taken there, if we have a large team of SNP MPs after May 7th.

The greatest risk we face in this election is to engage in the same old politics with the same old players and expect a different result. This week, not just Scotland but the rest of the UK saw that, in just a few  week's time, it can be different. 



Lisa Cameron
SNP Candidate

East Kilbride, Strathaven and Lesmahagow

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