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1/ In July, there were 36,000 jobs advertised across Scotland online, that’s around 29,000 less than July 2019. And, 222,000 people claimed unemployment benefit, compared to 109,000 in July 2019. Mass unemployment will worsen -requiring a sea change in approach.
2/ Firstly, we have to move away from the question of employment pivoting around numbers. Instead we have to use this opportunity to talk about what kind of work people are doing. About what pay and conditions they experience. And what social outcomes their work produces.
3/ Large corporations who survive the crisis, will utilise huge unemployment rates to depress the pay, conditions and rights of their workforce, in the knowledge that they can be replaced. We need a society wide movement to challenge this - inside and out of the workplace.
4/ We need to conduct a strategic, investment led, infrastructure drive - around building affordable homes, developing green energy, a revamped transport system and many other areas. This can provide long-term, well paid, socially useful work.
5/ This should come alongside investments into community organisations, local services and a revamped local democracy - so that localities can be part of planning recovery.
6/ We should systematise the development and distribution of locally grown food produce (alongside a range of other measures), as part of a drive to ensure healthy, high quality food is available to everyone - with no exceptions. Food banks are not a solution.
7/ All energy should be taken into common ownership, to end fuel poverty. This means a) we need the full powers of independence and b) the Scot Gov must immediately end the plan to sell off of Scotland’s green energy to global investors. Scotland’s resources belong to the people.
8/8 And much, much more. The Economic Recovery Group and the Scot Gov lack ambition and strategy. They seek to uphold the status quo which has so obviously failed. The coming months and years require a completely different order of action, planning, investment, objectives.
