The final item of business is a members’ business debate on motion S6M-12605, in the name of Bill Kidd, on the 50th anniversary of the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974. The debate will be concluded without any question being put.
Motion debated,
That the Parliament marks the 50th anniversary of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974, which, to this day, remains the umbrella legislation that underpins all legal health, safety and welfare requirements for both employers and employees in the UK, including in the Glasgow Anniesland constituency; acknowledges the effect that this legislation has had on workplace safety through the laying down of wide-ranging duties on employers to protect the health, safety and welfare at work of all of their employees, as well as others on their premises, including temporary or casual workers, self-employed workers, clients, visitors and the general public; understands that, despite remaining too high, fatal injuries to employees fell by 73%, while reported non-fatal injuries dropped by 70%, between 1974 and 2007, and notes the belief that, in light of this milestone, it is time for all relevant stakeholders to come together to examine what steps need to be taken now to ensure that employment law continues to deliver for Scotland’s workers for the next 50 years.
16:58
Tomorrow, around the globe, people will gather for May day, or international workers day. The day owes its origin to the labour movement of the late 19th century, when workers fought for better working conditions and asked for eight hours of labour and fair wages for it. The day is celebrated around the world to promote the rights of workers and to prevent them from being exploited any further than they have been already. The day gives workers a platform to raise their voices and tell policy makers and politicians to work in the direction of social justice.
It is therefore fitting that we take the opportunity today to also mark the 50th anniversary of the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974, which is, to this day, widely recognised as the overarching statutory framework for health and safety in the workplace. It is seen as the culmination of a long journey in the development of safety legislation from the 19th century onwards, in response to the particularly hazardous conditions of employment that existed in places such as factories and mines.
That journey was not, by any means, all plain sailing—it was long and arduous and had to be driven on by pioneers in the field: individuals and groups who were driven by a sense of duty and compassion towards those without a voice. They included individuals such as Thomas Percival, alumnus of medicine at the University of Edinburgh. Alongside the instrumental part that he played in developing a code of medical ethics, which included a code for conduct towards patients, whether they were rich or poor, he led a group of doctors to supervise the appalling conditions that existed in textile mills. The group’s subsequent report influenced the introduction of the Health and Morals of Apprentices Act 1802, which was also known as the factory act.
As was the case then, and as is the case even today, sadly, attempts to improve working conditions could be met with fierce resistance from many vested interests, and the first factory act was not particularly successful. However, it served to highlight the need for change and to galvanise a trade union movement that had suffered severe repression. Workers sensed that change in mood and began campaigning more openly for change.
In Scotland, the 1820 radical war, or the Scottish insurrection, captured that public mood, with a call for social and economic justice, workers’ rights and an independent Scottish Parliament to make such decisions on behalf of the people. Tragically, the uprising was brutally put down by the British Government. In 2001, this Parliament debated the sacrifice of the three 1820 martyrs—James Wilson from Strathaven and John Baird and Andrew Hardie from Glasgow, who were hanged and beheaded for their beliefs. Despite continued fierce resistance from those who opposed change, the sacrifices of Baird, Hardie and Wilson, and the sacrifices of many others who came after them, have ensured that the march towards better working conditions has continued to this day.
I would like to take a moment to remember and thank those early pioneers—and, indeed, martyrs—who made so much possible, and I thank those who have continued and continue now to dedicate their lives to improving the conditions for so many workers as we face new challenges and new threats to our rights. In 1974, 651 workers were killed while at work; in 2022-23, the number had reduced to 135. In 1974, 336,722 workers were injured at work; 50 years later, the figure had dropped to 60,645. Although any injury or death is a tragedy, it can be argued that the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974 has undoubtedly been a success.
Last week, I was proud to sponsor again the Scottish Hazards exhibition in Parliament. Throughout my time as an MSP, Scottish Hazards has provided invaluable health and safety information, advice, support and representation to many of my constituents and to many across the country. I echo the calls by Scottish Hazards for my fellow members to signpost any inquiries that they may have to that organisation, as its expertise is, as I have said, truly invaluable.
Last year, I was also proud to secure a members’ business debate on firefighters memorial day, which takes place on 4 May to honour the sacrifice of firefighters who have lost their lives in the line of duty. In that debate, I highlighted the need to avoid complacency, and I stressed that, as the work of firefighters evolves, safety measures must also evolve to reflect the new dangers that they face. I thank and commend the Fire Brigades Union for its work on those issues—in particular, its DECON campaign, which is aimed at protecting firefighters and their families from those new risks.
Last year, my colleague Marie McNair brought to the chamber a debate on action mesothelioma day to raise awareness of the dangers of asbestos and mesothelioma. That debate further highlighted how our understanding of the dangers that workers face continues to evolve as our focus on those who are affected by asbestos changes, too. I thank Marie McNair and organisations such as Action on Asbestos for continuing to highlight those new dangers.
Those examples show us that we cannot stand still and that the journey towards safe and healthy working conditions is far from over. Where will that journey take us in the future? How can we ensure that health and safety responds to the needs of modern workers and that it not only protects existing rights but goes further in extending these rights? It is here that we need to seriously consider supporting calls for the complete devolution of health and safety law and employment law. By harnessing those powers, we can not only protect and improve workers’ rights but use the powers to achieve much more, so that we create a system that, as the Institute for Public Policy Research notes,
“plays a positive and enabling role in wider national priorities, including tackling child poverty.”
I hope and believe that we can all get on board with that journey.
17:04
I refer members to my entry in the register of members’ interests, as I am a member of the trade union Unison. I thank my colleague Bill Kidd for bringing this important debate to the chamber.
The Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974 sets out the framework for managing workplace health and safety in the United Kingdom. It was put in place 50 years ago to help to prevent workplace accidents, illness and death, during a time of particularly dangerous working conditions in mines and factories. Alongside the gains from increasing membership of trade unions, the 1974 act has led to more tangible improvements in workplace conditions. It has ensured that staff receive training on health and safety procedures and that a safe working environment is maintained. It has laid down extensive requirements on employers to protect all their employees, including temporary and casual workers, and even visitors and the public. It has resulted in the number of fatal injuries to employees falling by 73 per cent—although the rate is still too high—while the number of reported non-fatal injuries dropped by 70 per cent between 1974 and 2007.
Clydebank—my home town and part of my constituency—has a rich industrial heritage as the hub of manufacturing and shipbuilding. For decades, workers in Clydebank made a huge contribution to the economy while working in extremely dangerous conditions. For those workers, the 1974 act brought about improvements to their working conditions. It led to the greater use of protective equipment and training programmes, which empowered workers to look after themselves and others in the workplace.
There is no doubt that the 1974 act has saved lives. However, despite the massive improvements, many workers in Clydebank continued to work with asbestos, and it was only 25 years on from the passing of the act that that was fully banned in the UK. By that time, the damage had been done, and the effects can be felt to this day as those who previously worked in such industries are diagnosed with asbestos-related health conditions such as pleural plaques or types of cancer such as mesothelioma and lung cancer.
The fight continues for those who are affected, and their families, to receive justice and compensation. That is why I spoke, alongside others, at Truth and Justice Square in Clydebank at the weekend, to mark international workers memorial day. We remembered those who have died and pledged to fight for the living. We also marked the sad passing of Bob Dickie and Hope Robertson, who were stalwarts of the Clydebank Asbestos Group.
Unfortunately, there are still hundreds of fatal injuries and thousands of non-fatal injuries in workplaces in the UK every year. As the nature of work continues to evolve, we must be mindful of the new hazards and risks to our workers. In particular, we must acknowledge that the mental health and emotional wellbeing of our employees is a huge part of employee health. Ensuring that workers have an open and supportive work environment has never been more important, and we must strive for continuous improvements and best practice to keep up with how the workplace is changing in order to protect our workers.
All employees deserve to feel safe and secure in their workplace. Being in a safe environment allows workers to thrive and reach their full potential. So, as my colleague Bill Kidd noted, it is now time for us all to come together to examine what steps we can take to ensure that employment law continues to deliver for the workers of Scotland. The general wellbeing of our employees will be improved only with the scrapping of exploitative zero-hours contracts and the banning of unpaid trial shifts, as both of those practices are exploitative and do nothing to protect our workers’ general wellbeing, but the UK Government will not deliver on that. Only with employment law and health and safety law controlled by the Scottish Government, in an independent Scotland, will our workers’ rights and protections truly be upheld.
17:09
I congratulate Bill Kidd on bringing the debate to the chamber. In celebrating the 50th anniversary of the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974, the Parliament recognises the impact that that legislation has had on workplace safety across the UK. The 1974 act came out of the findings of the Robens report, and both Labour and Conservative Governments can claim to have delivered it. It has been a success. By 2008, it was found that, since the 1974 act had been passed, the number of fatal injuries to employees had fallen by 73 per cent and the rate of injuries per 1,000 employees had fallen by 76 per cent. However, as we reflect on the undoubted achievements of the 1974 act, we must recognise that—unsurprisingly—the act as it was originally passed was not the final say. It has required further amendment to get us where we are today.
On the evening of 6 July 1988, the Piper Alpha platform exploded, with the loss of 165 lives. The oil from the platform was piped to the Flotta oil terminal in Orkney, which is opposite my home. I remember, as a child, seeing the burned-out accommodation block, where so many men died while at work, sitting on the dock of the terminal. The Offshore Safety Act 1992 extended the application of the 1974 act to secure the safety, health and welfare of people on offshore installations.
There is still much to do, however, and I will highlight some of the other areas in which I recognise that there is an increased risk for those who are just doing their jobs. I remind members of my entry in the register of members’ interests, as I am a partner in a farming business. In the agriculture sector, farmers and crofters often work alone, and when something goes wrong, the consequences can be extremely dangerous. The very nature of farming means that we accept the risks that we take, and sometimes we become a little too complacent about those risks. I have experienced that at first hand. I was trying to free a calf from a fence, when I found myself surrounded by 20 of the herd. At the time, I thought nothing of it—while it could have been more worrying, it was an everyday incident.
One would struggle to find a farmer or crofter who does not spend a lot of their time using dangerous machinery, moving livestock or working on the top of a building. They do all those things on their own. That is why farming remains a profession with a high number of accidents and injuries, which are too often fatal. According to the Health and Safety Executive, farmers and farm workers account for 1 per cent of all UK workers but 18 per cent of all worker fatalities. That is why new technologies that help to increase safety are so welcome, particularly for those working alone, as are initiatives such as the Farm Safety Foundation’s annual farm safety week, which this year will be held between 22 and 26 July.
I thank the member for giving way—I wisnae intending on speaking, but I, too, have a vested interest in safety on farms. A few years ago, I took forward a campaign about wearing helmets on quad bikes. That is not the law, but if you are a farmer, it can save your life. Do you think that that is a good idea in order to encourage safety on quad bikes?
Through the chair, please.
I thank Emma Harper for that intervention. Having just purchased a new safety helmet for somebody who works on our farm, I agree with that 100 per cent. I remind members that farm safety week will take place between 22 and 26 July this year—it is really important that people get involved in that.
However, agriculture is only one area of increased hazard. As an islander, I am acutely aware of the increased dangers at sea, albeit that they are often not covered by the 1974 act. Our fishermen work in all weathers, often operating miles from land and miles from immediate help in the event of an accident. The very nature of my region, the Highlands and Islands, creates additional challenges. Workplaces are often in remote locations where emergency assistance may be far away, so I briefly take the opportunity to recognise the role of our emergency services. When there is an accident or an incident or work, they often play a huge role in ensuring that a bad situation is not a fatal one.
Having mentioned the dangers of working offshore, I highlight the work of the Royal National Lifeboat Institution, in its 200th anniversary year, and our lifeboat crews, of whom I am a lifelong supporter.
In conclusion, it is imperative that we not only celebrate the progress that we have made in workplace safety but redouble our efforts to ensure that employers and employees are aware of the law, that rules and regulations are followed and that workplace safety is taken seriously and lives are saved because of it.
17:13
I thank Bill Kidd for bringing this important motion to Parliament, and I remind members of my own voluntary register of trade union interests.
It was Michael Foot who steered the Health and Safety at Work etc Bill through Parliament back in 1974. Kenneth O Morgan, in his magnificent biography of Foot, records that he hailed it as a powerful affirmation of three great socialist principles—
“three pillars … essential to the ideas of democratic Socialism”. —[Official Report, House of Commons, 3 April 1974; Vol 871, c 1299.
Those are the words that Michael Foot used in the House of Commons. The 1974 act empowered ministers to give leadership, it mobilised the power of the state for a great cause, and it meant the active democratic participation of working people in their place of work. For the first time, it bestowed on trade unions the legal right to establish safety committees, to be recognised on all matters of health and safety and to trigger legal action to counter abuses.
To left thinkers like Hilary Wainwright, it was the nearest thing we had seen to industrial democracy. She said it was a
“source of power”
and a
“fusion of the political and industrial”.
To trade unionists like Jack Jones of the Transport and General Workers Union, this act of Parliament, carried in defiance of anger from the Confederation of British Industry and opposition from the House of Lords, was
“the most comprehensive legislation ever drafted covering people at work”.
So it is right that, in this Parliament tonight, we mark the 50th anniversary of its enactment.
Of course, the millionaires, the billionaires and their political representatives have been trying to take our rights away—in recent times, from David Cameron’s mendacious claim that
“excessive health and safety culture”
was
“an albatross around the neck of ... businesses”
to Rishi Sunak’s odious attack, just 10 days ago, on the so-called “sick note culture”. Well, I have an answer for Rishi Sunak: start making workplaces healthier, end the long-hours culture, stop demonising disabled people and restore the national health service to a service free at the point of need, not at the end of a two-year waiting list.
At the weekend, we marked international workers memorial day, when we remembered the dead but vowed to fight for the living. That is why, half a century on from the 1974 act, it is once again the Labour Party that is offering a new deal for working people, a repeal of anti-trade union laws, a single enforcement body with an army of inspectors, an extension of free collective bargaining, employment rights from day 1, organising rights for trade unions from day 1, a ban on blacklisting and the reintroduction of civil liability for breaches of health and safety regulations. That is what I will be campaigning for and that is what I will be voting for in this year’s general election.
Finally, let me recall “Labour’s Programme 1973”, which gave birth to the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974. It begins with the solemn declaration to
“put the principles of democracy and Socialism above consideration of privilege and market economics”,
and it concludes with the great call of history:
“to bring about a fundamental and irreversible shift in the balance of power ... in favour of working people”.
It is a political vision based on political principles to achieve political outcomes that are as relevant today as they were then. It is a vision, and these are principles and outcomes that I, for one, will continue to fight for in 2024.
17:18
On Sunday, on a rather wet and chilly afternoon, many of us gathered at Persley walled garden in Woodside, in Aberdeen, just up from the River Don, at the workers memorial. We were there, as people are every year on 28 April, to mark international workers memorial day. We gather as workers and trade unionists to remember those who have lost their lives at work and those who are still fighting for safer conditions, better pay and improved representation in their workplaces.
It is fitting, then, that this evening we come together to mark the 1974 legislation, which underpins the legal requirements around workers’ health, safety and welfare. I thank Bill Kidd for securing the debate and I refer members to my entry in the register of members’ interests—I am a member of Unite the union.
Fifty years on, much has changed. As the motion outlines, the legislation has saved lives, and we will probably never know who is still alive today because of that legislation or which children still have a mother or a father because they were not killed at work. We cannot measure the scale or importance of those laws. However, too many workers are still killed at work. Since 1974, we have seen some awful tragedies unfold in which workers were killed or injured because their bosses chose to cut corners or to prioritise profits over the health and wellbeing of their workers.
In 1988, a fire that might have subsided or been put out resulted in a deadly explosion that killed 165 of the 226 workers on the Piper Alpha oil platform in the North Sea. Two crewmen from an emergency rescue boat also lost their lives. Those deaths were preventable. Workers on two nearby platforms—Claymore and Tartan—which pumped to Piper Alpha, could see that the platform that they were pumping to was alight, but they had been told never to shut off the oil and gas that they pumped, even to a burning platform. That order caused the deaths of 167 people, all because oil bosses could see no circumstance in which it would be appropriate to stop pumping. The Piper Alpha disaster led to a transformation in how the oil and gas industry treated the safety of its North Sea installations, but such a transformation should never have come at such a cost.
This year, the theme for international workers memorial day was the climate crisis and workers’ health. We can all appreciate the impacts of climate change on occupational health and safety. A substantial body of evidence shows how extreme weather events, which are increasing in number as a consequence of climate change, exacerbate occupational risks. Heat stress, ultraviolet radiation, air pollution and increased exposure to chemicals are just some of the risks to which more and more workers are exposed more often.
Like Bill Kidd, I recognise the work of the Fire Brigades Union in highlighting the dangers that firefighters face when having to deal with more prevalent and more severe wildfires or when being exposed to carcinogenic chemicals in the course of their daily work. I applaud its DECON campaign, which seeks to raise awareness of the risks relating to the profession and to secure improved training, processes and resources to keep firefighters as safe as possible while they work to save our lives.
There are so many other issues that I wanted to raise, from the mental ill health and stress that are caused by lack of resources to undertake roles to exposure to asbestos or unsafe reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete. Although the legislation of 50 years ago has saved lives, it is clear that, across so many different sectors, we still have much work to do to secure the health, safety and wellbeing of all our workers. We remember the dead and we continue to fight for the living.
17:22
I, too, thank Bill Kidd for bringing this important debate to the chamber. The 50th anniversary of the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974 is, of course, worth remembering. The legacy of the act is one of our absolute successes, as thousands of lives have been saved year after year. The act evidences the power of proper democratic policy and a shared commitment to improving the lives of ordinary people. We should spend more time pointing out the history of such successes, as I fear that, at times, understandably, the public think that far too little of substance goes on in many of the Parliaments across the world.
As we know, the landmark legislation was a product of many years of campaigns by people from across the labour movement and, of course, by forward thinkers in the world of business who understood that a safe and healthy workplace is a productive and prosperous one. I have no doubt that many gigantic corporations could do with learning that lesson once again.
The figures are now better, but we must remain vigilant about health and safety in the workplace. As we know, Scotland has the highest rate of workplace fatalities in any part of the UK, so we must keep the matter at the top of our agenda in the Scottish Parliament. It is key that we properly enforce corporate responsibility for the death of workers under corporations’ care.
As many members have mentioned, many of us attended local workers memorial day events on Saturday. I attended the East Ayrshire event, which was run by the Ayrshire trades council. It is the stories that people tell us about their family members that keep us all fighting.
For too long, corporations with turnovers of billions of pounds have fought tooth and nail to ensure that they do not have to recognise their responsibility for the deaths and injuries of workers. In some cases, they even do everything that they can to not take financial responsibility for the harms that have been caused.
That is completely unacceptable, and I am sure that almost all of us in this Parliament would want the balance to be tipped in favour of ordinary hard-working people rather than those gigantic corporations that make enormous profits.
I completely agree with Bill Kidd’s motion—it is time to see how we can build on the lessons of the 1974 act and update employment law to reflect the changing world of work and the wisdom that we have gathered over the years, to make it work for us today. Just one death or serious injury in the workplace that could have been avoided is one too many. Until we have reached the goal of no deaths in the workplace, there is a great deal of work for us all to do, and I commit to continuing with that work.
17:25
I thank the Presiding Officer for allowing me to contribute, as I was not initially down to speak, and I thank Bill Kidd for bringing his motion to the chamber.
As others have said, the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974 is extremely important. It is good that there has been a reduction in the fatal and non-fatal injury statistics—that is positive. However, I think that we can all agree that, although the 1974 act is very important, the decline of heavy industry in places such as my constituency and many other constituencies has played a big part in the reduction in the number of injuries over the time period in question—1974 to now. If the Conservative Governments at the time had not destroyed those industries, would the injury statistics still be the same, given that those Governments showed no support for workers in those industries at the time?
Like other members, I, too, was at the international workers memorial day event on Sunday at the Summerlee museum in Coatbridge, which was organised by the North Lanarkshire trade union council. My colleague Richard Leonard was there and, as usual, he made a very powerful speech. The Summerlee museum, which hosts that event every year, is a very fitting place for such a memorial service, as it sits in the heart of Coatbridge and Chryston, which is a constituency that is embedded in mining, steel and other heavy industry of the past.
Just 6 miles up the road is the Auchengeich memorial, which commemorates the disaster that took place there in 1959, when—as was mentioned at the service and is always mentioned—47 men lost their lives in Scotland’s worst pit disaster of the 20th century. I have mentioned these statistics in the chamber before, as have others, and I have no shame in doing so again: 41 women were widowed and 76 children were left without a father in that horrendous disaster. Every year, in September, a memorial service is held to commemorate all those who were affected by the disaster as well as those who were affected by the disaster of 1931 at the same pit.
As others have said, although the 1974 act is very important, we need to move with the times. Exploitative tactics definitely need to be banned, and, as Richard Leonard mentioned, there needs to be an end to blacklisting, which is still happening in the communities that we represent.
In addition, more account needs to be taken of the emotional stress associated with work. That is possibly the major health issue of our day. People who work in the NHS, as teachers or in the public sector more generally—as we are aware through our committee work and debates in the chamber, the issue particularly affects the police and members of the fire service—are under massive stress. Improvements have been made, but employers need to take even more account of that.
My previous colleagues in social work would expect me to mention the role of social workers in that context. As someone who has worked in that sector, I can say that the case loads are very heavy indeed. That can lead to the long hours that others have mentioned, with workers having to deal with very traumatic situations involving individuals who are at their most vulnerable.
Often, through necessity, there is lone working, although it is discouraged, and the rates of social workers being off with stress and suchlike are very high. I point members to the cross-party group on social work and the work of the Scottish Association of Social Workers and the great work that it does.
I will finish with the words that are on display at the Summerlee museum:
“The past we inherit, the future we build.”
17:30
Today’s motion and debate reflect a hugely important issue that affects us all and our country. I am grateful to Bill Kidd for giving Parliament the opportunity to discuss it. I am also grateful to everyone who has spoken in the debate. Every speech has been incredibly powerful. Lots of the speeches have referenced incidents, throughout the years, in which the health and safety of workers has not been a priority. We must always have that in mind when we debate the issue.
Health and safety at work is fundamental to the physical wellbeing of everyone in Scotland. Good working environments are a key determinant of good health, and good health is essential for productive work. Most importantly, people have the right to go to work and to come home unharmed. Healthy working conditions are an internationally recognised human right, but there are so many areas in which we can do better and so many countries that can do better. It is good to see that the UK and Scotland as a whole have made such strides in the legislation and workplace culture that we have put in place to make sure that more people come home to their families at the end of the working day.
International workers memorial day has been mentioned by many people, and it has been great to hear about the events that have been happening across the country.
I commend all those who attended the ceremonies. Unfortunately, due to family circumstances, I was not able to attend, but I laid a wreath at the steelworkers memorial in my constituency of Motherwell and Wishaw to remember those from the steelworks in Motherwell. That is another example of such ceremonies and of how important it is to remember those who did not make it home from work and to fight for the future.
Absolutely. It is important that we always remember those who perished or were injured at work. I commend Clare Adamson for the work that she does in highlighting safety in general in this place, which she has done over many years.
Many members have talked about the selfless sacrifice of people who have campaigned because they have identified safety issues at their work, often at great expense to themselves in going up against big corporations. It is the strength and character of those brave people who have put themselves on the line that have engendered changes to legislation and resulted in political change as well.
Sadly, it has also been tragedy that has pointed to change. I wanted to talk about Piper Alpha—it was in my notes—but I am following so many members who have already done so. Jamie Halcro Johnston mentioned the 165 men on the platform who lost their lives along with two men from the supporting vessel, whom Maggie Chapman mentioned. I will never forget that night. My father was on a platform in the Norwegian sector, and we were like so many people who did not know exactly where their loved ones worked; they just worked offshore. I remember the fear. I was one of the lucky ones whose father was not on board on the night of 6 July 1988, but I know some people who were affected. That disaster engendered a health and safety culture, and the oil and gas sector is probably one of the areas of work in which the biggest improvements have been made in health and safety. But—my goodness!—it should not have taken 167 lives lost for that to be the case.
Health and safety is a reserved matter, and the Health and Safety Executive is responsible for enforcement across the UK. It is not something that this Parliament or this Government has direct control over. I echo Bill Kidd’s call for the power over health and safety legislation to come to this place and for the power over employment regulations to come to this place as well. That would allow us to make much more meaningful change—change of the type that has been recommended by many of the speakers in the debate—rather than wait for the UK Government to do that. I echo Richard Leonard’s points about the way in which the Conservative Government has taken away workers’ voices through anti-trade union activities.
However, the absence of devolved powers does not mean that there is nothing that we can do. We reaffirm the First Minister’s policy prospectus. We are committed to embedding human rights in everything that we do, and the Scottish Government has long recognised the importance of health, safety and wellbeing in the workplace through our fair work Scotland approach. The key element of fair work is an effective workers’ voice. We need to provide channels through which workers can raise concerns and ideas, and workers need to be involved in decisions about how workplaces function, because who can do that better than the people who know their workplace and the jobs that they are involved in?
I go back to oil and gas, as I often do, because I worked tangentially in that sector. In that sector, when people bring up health and safety concerns, they are never blamed or criticised; it is welcomed if they highlight where things can improve, and they are actively encouraged to do so. It would be good if many other sectors took that approach.
I will make a brief remark on what was said about lone working on farms. Lone working is often unavoidable. I pay tribute to the Farm Safety Foundation, or Yellow Wellies, which Jamie Halcro Johnston mentioned. I add to that the work that the Scottish Fishermen’s Federation does on safety, welfare and training, which is very important work in a high-risk sector.
Marie McNair referenced the conditions that shipyard workers faced in her home town of Clydebank. I echo her tributes to Bob Dickie and Hope Robertson from the Clydebank Asbestos Group. I also support what Ms McNair said about the banning of unpaid trial shifts—that was an important point that was well made.
People are living not just with health conditions but with disabilities as a result of their work in heavy industry. Many men have tinnitus because of the lack of ear protection, which has affected the rest of their lives—it is a debilitating condition. However, in industrial areas of Scotland now, personal protective equipment is standard, which would not have been the case without the legislation that has been referenced today.
In July 2023, we strengthened our fair work conditionality in public sector grants and contracts. We now require employers who are in receipt of grants to pay at least the living wage and to provide appropriate channels for an effective workers’ voice. All the issues that we have talked about today would not have arisen if workers had been listened to—that is probably the most important takeaway from the debate. The more that we listen to workers, the better, and the more improvements there will be to their conditions so that we will not have terrible tragedies such as the ones that have been mentioned today.
Meeting closed at 17:38.Previous
Decision Time