SHERIDAN DEMANDS ANSWERS ON PARLIAMENT BUILDING WORKERS CONDITIONS


Tommy Sheridan will demand a response from the Presiding Officer at the earliest opportunity on a report by the building workers union UCATT detailing a whole number of breaches of the Working Rule agreement.
Tommy Sheridan said:
“Alan Ritchie has detailed a shocking catalogue of exploitation and abuse of workers rights on the site of the new Scottish Parliament.
“Workers are having their wages deducted to pay for Health and safety equipment in direct contravention of the law; others are finding that deductions are being made for holiday pay.
“We have a situation in which a limitless amount of public money is being poured into the new parliament building and yet the workers who are building it are being ruthlessly exploited by the contractors who stand to make millions of pounds profit.
“I will be demanding a response from George Reid at the earliest opportunity on the real scandal of Holyrood, the exploitation of building workers to line the pockets of the building companies and the agencies who are consciously breaking a myriad of employment laws.”

The Scotsman - Scotland - MS sufferer admits giving cannabis to other victims

The Scottish Socialist Party has tabled a motion urging the Scottish Parliament to send a message of support to Ivol and calling for more money to go into research of MS treatments, including the medical use of cannabis.

The Scotsman - Scotland - MS victim 'sent cannabis chocolates to fellow sufferer'

the Scottish Socialist Party has tabled a motion urging the Scottish Parliament to send a message of support to Mrs Ivol.

Inquiry ordered on M74 extension The Herald

BBC NEWS | Scotland | Minister orders M74 inquiry

However, Scottish Tory transport spokesman David Mundell accused Mr Stephen of "an appalling lack of leadership" and urged the executive to "get on with it".

"This inquiry is nothing but a sop to anarchists like (Scottish Socialist MSP) Rosie Kane who have objected to this vital extension all along, and who have no interest in improving transport or the economy," he said.

M74 ENQUIRY “A VICTORY FOR ENVIRONMENTAL CAMPAIGNERS”

Scottish Socialist Party MSP Rosie Kane today hailed the announcement of an enquiry into the M74 extension as “a major victory for environmental campaigners”.
Speaking at a press conference in the Scottish Parliament, Rosie said that the people of Glasgow demanded a genuine enquiry and “not a cosmetic exercise to justify the road.”
She said that she was worried that the enquiry was a “forgone conclusion” with the destination in place as a 2008 date has been set for the opening of the controversial extension.
Rosie said that the enquiry had to go out to the communities who would be affected by the projected 110,000 cars per day that would be ploughing through urban Glasgow.
Questioning the integrity of the Scottish Executive, Rosie wondered why it was that Labour had opposed the M74 extension in 1997 and yet had switched to supporting the project on their election to government.
“This road was conceived in 1965, the time of multi storey blocks of concrete that are now completely discredited. This road belongs to the same era and should not be allowed to blight our community in 2003 ” said Rosie.
Rosie called for a multi-model study of transport in Glasgow to allow people to make informed judgements on public and private transport requirements.

Letter from Steve Mcgrail to 'The Scotsman', not printed

Dear Editor

It's hard to know where to start with Dan McDougal's article on me (12th June), so riddled with errors is it; these shouldn't surprise, perhaps, emanating as they do from a journalist whose very business card has the telephone number wrong. The mistakes are legion: my father was never a millionaire to my knowledge; my Victorian semi is probably worth only half what's stated; I've donated nothing like £30,000 to the SSP - and I understand that the Electoral Commission's Compliance Manager is disturbed at the inaccuracy of the article's claims here; my family has 'no vast personal fortune'; my father was from Birmingham, not Yorkshire; I'm 57 not 46; I've never contested any seat on Stirling Council; I haven't had a car for years; there was no 'squabble' with neighbours over solar panels, just the normal planning process; my late aunt was never a 'millionaire' nor a shareholder of the family company; I don't write for a folk magazine in Belfast - there isn't one.
I could continue, and tackle the generally sneering tone of the piece. For instance, I'm not 'wealthy'. Most of the legacy has gone - to relatives, and projects I support, like Scotland's hospices: I presume Mr McDougal would find that acceptable? I was simply lucky to be able to back those various causes, the SSP amongst them. If you want a real angle, you might compare my alleged 'huge donations' with what some other parties receive - mine would look like mere loose change; such a story would at least represent proper journalism, though... or would that be too much trouble?

Steve McGrail

Sunday Herald - Party girls

The Scottish parliament is succeeding at attracting more women into politics, but as a society we are continuing to fail working-class women, argues Scottish Socialist Party MSP Frances Curran