Living Wage (Scotland) Bill Response from the Scottish Youth Parliament Background to SYP Our vision is of a stronger,

more inclusive Scotland that empowers young people by truly involving them in the decision-making process. The Scottish Youth Parliament (SYP) is democratically elected to represent Scotlands youth. We listen to young people, recognise the issues that are most important to them, and ensure that their voices are heard. In working towards our aims, we support the following values: Democracy All of our plans and activities are youth-led, and we are accountable to young people aged 14-25. Our democratic structure, and the scale of direct participation across Scotland, gives us strength and sets us apart from other organisations. Inclusion We are committed to being truly inclusive. The Scottish Youth Parliament believes that all young people have a right to a voice, it doesnt matter who we are or where we come from. We celebrate our diversity. Political independence We are independent from political parties. Only by working with all legitimate political parties can we make progress on the policies that are important to young people. Passion We believe that drive and energy are key to successful campaigning. We are passionate about the key issues and believe that young people are part of the solution, not the problem. Introduction and Context of Response The Scottish Youth Parliament (SYP) welcomes the proposal for a Living Wage (Scotland) Bill and the opportunity to respond. The Living Wage is a clear priority for action for Scotlands young people, and a subject on which they feel extremely passionately. This is demonstrated by the decision of our Members (MSYPs), democratically elected to represent Scotlands young people with almost 85,000 votes cast across Scotland, to make the Living Wage the subject of SYPs national priority campaign. Our position of support for a Living Wage is based on direct consultation with Scotlands young people, with two statements from our Youth Manifesto, Change the Picture, which was shaped by 42,804 responses from young people in Scotland. Proposals for legislation directly relating to an issue that Scotlands young people have identified as one of their biggest priorities, are relatively rare and are an extremely welcome boost to the SYPs work campaigning for change on the issues that matter most to young people. We would like to take the opportunity to thank
Living Wage (Scotland) Bill Scottish Youth Parliament response 1

John Park MSP for bringing forward this Members Bill proposal and for the opportunity for Scotlands young people to share their views on it. In the interests of balance and consistency, SYP has responded to the elements of the Scottish Governments consultation on the Procurement Reform Bill that related to the Living Wage in the same manner. One Fair Wage campaign The Scottish Youth Parliaments support for a Living Wage is based on three pieces of democratically determined policy. Two of these emanate from our mass consultation shaping our 2011-2016 Change the Picture youth manifesto: 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 hour1 to all employees, which is regularly reviewed to make sure it is meeting minimum income standards. 76% of respondents agreed, 10% disagreed, 14% were not sure. People should be paid equally for doing the same job. There should be an equal minimum wage for all, including those in training. 78% of respondents agreed, 15% disagreed, 7% were not sure. These positions were regarded by SYP as compatible, and were effectively linked following a Members Motion debate and vote by our membership at our National Sitting in March 2012: SYP believes the National Minimum Wage should be raised in line with the living wage, as calculated by the Centre for Research in Social Policy, in order to guarantee workers the decent standard of living they deserve. 85% of MSYPs present and voting agreed. The decision to campaign for the Living Wage as a national priority was taken following a vote of our full membership at our AGM in June 2012. Following an established process that has led to our highly successful Love Equally campaign for marriage equality, and campaign for Votes at 16 in the independence referendum, our MSYPs discussed and elected one issue to run as a national campaign for at least the next year. The issue overwhelmingly chosen by MSYPs was the Living Wage/Equal Minimum Wage based on the three policy statements outlined above. Our campaign, One Fair Wage was launched in September 2012. Whilst our ultimate aspiration of a Scotland where everyone, no matter how old they are, earns a Scottish Living Wage thats based on how much it costs to live remains our ambition for the future, 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

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. Living Wage (Scotland) Bill Scottish Youth Parliament response 2
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already strong support from MSPs and Councils to move to persuade businesses to become Living Wage employers, 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 Society 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 COSLAs recent proposal to increase the basic rate of pay for local government staff, 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. Q1. Do you support the general aims of the proposed Bill? Please indicate yes/no/undecided and explain the reasons for your response. Yes, the Scottish Youth Parliament supports the general aims of the proposed Bill. The SYP believes that all employers in Scotland, regardless of size or sector, should pay a fair and equal Living Wage to all their employees, no matter how old they may be. The Scottish Parliament has a crucial role in ensuring that this is underpinned by legislation in areas of devolved responsibility, and the Scottish Government must show leadership in supporting and promoting payment of the Living Wage. We believe that payment of the Living Wage through the procurement process is vital, especially as we are rapidly moving towards a situation where payment of the Living Wage is universal across the public sector. The Scottish Government, their agencies and the NHS are committed to paying their staff a Living Wage. Following the example set by twenty-nine of Scotlands 32 local authorities, who either are already Living Wage employers, pay all their staff above living wage levels or have announced their intention to implement it during the 2012-13 financial year, COSLAs recent proposal to raise the lowest rate of pay for local government employees to 7.50 per hour2 is likely to see every public sector worker in Scotland paid at least the Scottish Living Wage from April 2013. Given this, it would be extremely disappointing if a public sector-wide Living Wage in Scotland was compromised by staff working on outsourced public sector projects being paid below this level. We therefore support the principle that private sector employees working on public sector contracts should be paid the Living Wage and for this to be backed up by legislation.

Scottish Councils end pay freeze COSLA news release, 22nd November 2012 http://www.cosla.gov.uk/news/2012/11/scottish-councils-end-pay-freeze 3

Living Wage (Scotland) Bill Scottish Youth Parliament response

The Scottish Youth Parliament believes that the commitment of public sector employers to pay at least a Living Wage to all employees is sends out a strong and extremely encouraging signal of intent. We applaud the Scottish Government and local authorities for their commitment to become Living Wage employers and thank them for recognising the importance of this issue to low paid workers across Scotland, many of them young people. We also believe that this strong message should be complemented by a plan to encourage, promote and support employers from the private and voluntary sectors, with the ultimate ambition of Scotland becoming a Living Wage nation, with everyone in work no matter what their age earning at least this amount. On this basis, we support the principle that the Scottish Government should be required to produce a strategic plan to promote the Living Wage, and report to the Scottish Parliament on progress against it. There are a large number of actions that could be included in this plan that would have a very beneficial impact on the number of Living Wage employers in Scotland, and most importantly lift a significant number of Scots out of in-work poverty. Q2. Do you envisage any issues for public sector bodies when including the Living Wage as a contract performance condition of a contract? Please explain the reasons for your answer. The Scottish Youth Parliament urges the Scottish Government to work with campaigners, legal experts and agencies who have successfully extended their Living Wage commitment to the services they procure, to explore all possible avenues to ensure that contractors pay employees working on public sector contracts a Living Wage without contravening European law, and for suitable provisions to be included in the Living Wage (Scotland) Bill to achieve this purpose. The Scottish Youth Parliament notes the ongoing debate over the compatibility of the Living Wage in public procurement with EU law. We note the Scottish Governments position, as outlined in the Procurement Reform Bill consultation document that it would not be possible to make payment of the Living Wage a legal requirement on the grounds that case law of the Court of Justice of the European Union suggests that imposing additional requirements as a requirement of a public procurement process or public contract may represent a restriction on suppliers freedom to provide services guaranteed by Article 56 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union. In response to a request for clarification from the Scottish Government, the European Commission has recently confirmed that any requirement on contractors to pay their employees a living wage set higher than the UKs National Minimum Wage is unlikely to be compatible with the Treaty. In practice, this means that public bodies cannot address living wage in the award criteria for a public contract or the contract performance clauses.3 This issue was previously raised by the Scottish Parliament Local Government and Regeneration Committee, noting the Lower Saxony case often cited as a barrier

Procurement Reform Bill Consultation p. 43 4

Living Wage (Scotland) Bill Scottish Youth Parliament response

(Dirk Ruffert v Land Niedersachsen)4 and the concerns of the Government at that time (since expanded on above), which were expressed in evidence to the Committee5 and have been noted in the consultation document. We also note the contrary opinion of Thompsons Solicitors and others cited in their evidence to the Committee, that payment of the Living Wage could be included as a contract performance clause without breaching European Union law. We also note that public bodies have been able to realise a Living Wage commitment through procurement within the constraints of the law, such as the Olympic Delivery Authority realising a Living Wage Olympics.6 The SYP is not in a position to comment with any certainty on what may or may not be possible within the constraints of European law, or powers devolved to the Scottish Parliament. However, we strongly believe that a Living Wage for all workers is an aspiration well worth pursuing every possible avenue to realise, and that this is particularly the case where a public sector body with a Living Wage commitment is procuring services from an external source. It would be extremely disappointing if outsourcing led to staff working on subcontracted public projects being paid at a level less than the public body considers to be an appropriate minimum level for its own employees. Indeed, this would be doubly so if efficiency savings were generated by public sector contracts being awarded to private or voluntary sector agencies who were able to offer savings on the basis that staff are being paid less than the Living Wage. We would therefore urge the Scottish Government to work with campaigners, legal experts and agencies who have successfully extended their Living Wage commitment to the services they procure, to explore all possible avenues to ensure that contractors pay employees working on public sector contracts a Living Wage without contravening European law, and for suitable provisions to be included in the Living Wage (Scotland) Bill to achieve this purpose. Q3. What do you consider will be the advantages or disadvantages for employers and employees if public sector performance clauses stipulate the payment of the Living Wage? As outlined in the answer to question 2 above, we fully recognise that due to European law, there may be constraints on what may be possible to legally require. However, we feel the reasons for encouraging employers to pay a Living Wage are extremely compelling and should be pursued through all available channels and processes.

Dirk Ruffert v Land Niedersachsen, Thompsons Solicitors http://www.thompsons.law.co.uk/ltext/lelr-weekly-66-rough-justice.htm 5 Scottish Parliament Local Government and Regeneration Committee, 2nd Report, 2012 (Session 4) p. 24-28 6 Olympic Delivery Authority and London Citizens agree to work together on London Living Wage, London 2012 press release, 24th July 2007 http://www.london2012.com/media-centre/mediareleases/year=2007/month=02/article=olympic-delivery-authority-and-london-citizens-agree-to.html Living Wage (Scotland) Bill Scottish Youth Parliament response 5

The Living Wage has a numerous benefits to business, to society, and to workers alike. Some of those we consider to be the most pertinent are: The Living Wage is fair We believe that every worker in Scotland should be paid at least a Scottish Living Wage. How old or young a worker is should not be relevant to how much they are paid, and we oppose variable wages based solely on age that can result in employees being paid less for doing the same job as an older colleague. We believe that everyone deserves to be able to afford an acceptable standard of living nobody who works should be in poverty. This is particularly important for part-time workers which includes many young people. Whilst people with more experience or greater skills deserve to be rewarded, this should not prevent all workers receiving a decent basic wage that they can live on. The Living Wage helps the fight against poverty Since 2010 the child poverty rate in working households has gone up by 2%. Far too many people are still in in-work poverty, where despite working full-time they are still unable to afford the necessities. Ensuring that workers are not in poverty and giving a greater reward for work, whilst no means being the lone solution to poverty in Scotland, is a vital weapon in the war. The Living Wage helps the vulnerable Those most likely to be working in low-pay or part-time employment are women, people from an ethnic minority background, or young people. For many of these workers, the nature of their other commitments makes it hard to work full-time. This of course significantly limits their earning capability and makes it easier for employers to therefore pay them lower wages. As these workers have limited individual bargaining power a national policy is needed to look out for their interests a Living Wage. The Living Wage benefits the economy The last few years have seen pay freezes by both government and many private sector employers. This has coincided with a period of significant inflation. This means people have less money, but necessities such as food and heating have become more expensive. Inflation has been above 3% since 2010 which has an enormous impact on the poorest in society. This means more and more individuals are entering in-work poverty. The key thing about a Living Wage is it will instantly make a difference to these people allowing them to maintain a decent standard of living. Moreover, this benefits both the local and wider economy. Giving more money to the poorest in society means they will almost certainly spend the extra cash, in many cases locally in the shops and services most affected by the recession. The Living Wage benefits employment In addition to the wider economic benefits, there are several key benefits to employers and employees alike. Employers benefit from employees who are more motivated, and more likely to stay loyal. Someone earning a minimal wage will feel undervalued and is unlikely to work as well as someone who believes their labour is meaningful. Furthermore staff being paid a very low wage will only stay as long as they need to until a better paid position comes up therefore leading to
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greater staff turnover rates and less focus on their current role. From an employees point of view the benefits are greater than just more income. A greater wage allows them to concentrate on their current role. They can afford transport allowing them more time at work and at home. Other options such as childcare become more affordable allowing them greater flexibility and the ability to work extra hours if required. The Living Wage benefits young people Someone who is younger but doing the same work deserves the same wage. How old a person is should be irrelevant its about the work being done. Lower pay rates for young people make them vulnerable to losing their jobs as they get older. There is no value in only having a job until you are 18 or 21 if you then lose it to someone younger. A level playing field means young people are viewed as equals in the workplace rather than being seen as less important as they are paid less. The main costs would be financial ones to employers. However, this may not prove particularly prohibitive, depending on the way it is implemented, on the amount of staff in an organisation paid less than the Living Wage, and on other circumstances. For instance, in evidence to the Scottish Parliament Local Government and Regeneration Committee, the Finance Secretary put the additional cost of paying the Living Wage at 1.7 million for the Scottish Government and its agencies7, representing a modest amount set against the Governments total budget. Q4. Which public sector bodies should use contract performance clauses to deliver the Living Wage? Please include the reasons for your choice. The Scottish Youth Parliament believes that the Living Wage should be promoted in all public contracts, by all public bodies. We feel that there are no particularly compelling reasons why the Living Wage should not be promoted in all public contracts, regardless of value or type and by all public bodies and agencies. We believe that all employers should be encouraged to pay the Living Wage to their staff whether large or small. All employers in all circumstances are required to adhere to the National Minimum Wage at present, without regard to size or status, and given SYPs ultimate aspiration of this being equalised for all ages and set at Living Wage levels, we feel that there would not be a reason to differentiate when it came to promotion of the Living Wage in the public procurement process. As outlined in our response to question 2, we recognise that the nature of this promotion and the extent to which it can be required by law may be conditional on its compatibility with European law and the Scottish Parliaments devolved powers. However, we believe that it is crucial that the Living Wage is promoted in public contracts to the fullest possible extent.

Scottish Parliament Local Government and Regeneration Committee, 2nd Report, 2012 (Session 4) p. 13 7

Living Wage (Scotland) Bill Scottish Youth Parliament response

We agree with the approach proposed in the consultation to include a broad description of a public sector body that should be subject to the requirements to use contract performance clauses to deliver the Living Wage, rather than a prescriptive list which will need to be updated to reflect any changes to the public sector landscape. Q5. Which bodies should be mandatory consultees? Please include the reasons for your choice. The Scottish Youth Parliament recommends that a public consultation on a draft Living Wage Strategic Plan is undertaken, open to all organisations and individuals with an interest in it to comment on proposals. The SYP agrees that there should be a mandatory requirement to consult stakeholders on a draft Living Wage Strategic Plan. As the Living Wage is an issue that affects the public, private and voluntary sectors, and is of interest from a diverse range of supporters, organisations and individuals, a list of stakeholders is likely to be very long and very problematic to prescribe in legislation. We would therefore recommend including a requirement to consult publicly on the draft, which could be conducted according to the established Scottish Government consultation process and open to all organisations and individuals. A list of consultees is often prepared by Government officials to specifically send particular consultation documents to depending on the issue under consideration, which would be easier to update to reflect any changes that happen over time, and in particular would make it much easier to include stakeholders from the voluntary sector, whose organisations are not established by statute. However, this should not prevent any organisations or individuals not included on it from sharing their views on the draft, with the intention of making the Strategic Plan the best it possibly can be by including the insight of anyone with an interest in its success. Q6. What information must be included in the Scottish Ministers report to the Scottish Parliament? Please explain the reasons for your answer. The Scottish Youth Parliament recommends that the Scottish Ministers report should include information on progress on a Living Wage Strategic Plan and details of any work undertaken to support and promote the Living Wage in Scotland. The Scottish Youth Parliament recommends the Scottish Government investigate establishing a Living Wage Unit which could play an effective part in delivering the Living Wage Strategic Plan. A number of actions have been identified by the Scottish Living Wage Campaign and UNISON Scotland that could be undertaken by the Scottish Government to promote and support the delivery of the Living Wage. These include: Playing a role in setting the Living Wage in a Scottish context building on the work of the Centre for Social Policy at Loughborough University and the Living Wage Foundation.
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Living Wage (Scotland) Bill Scottish Youth Parliament response

Advising employers on adopting the Living Wage and playing a part in the accreditation of Living Wage Policies. Reviewing and advising on the Living Wage in relation to procurement. Promoting the Living Wage to all employers, particularly in the private sector. Mapping low pay across all sectors and all parts of Scotland. This could address the need for specifically Scottish data on the extent and geography of low pay in Scotland, which at present is reported to be patchy and inconsistent. This crucial work could inform not only the development of a Living Wage policy but wider policy social and economic policy, as well as playing a part in delivering the Governments priority to tackle in-work poverty from the Achieving Our Potential strategy. Develop, update and oversee the implementation of a Code of Practice for the promotion of the living wage in procurement. This would include ensuring consistency between public bodies procurement policies. Providing advice to employers of all types on how to be the best employer Ensuring input into policies at an early stage to make sure that low pay issues are identified.

The SYP would encourage the Scottish Government to consider taking on these tasks, which could play a significant role in encouraging employers from the private and voluntary sectors to adopt Living Wage policies, would provide essential data on the value of the Living Wage in tackling in-work poverty and would demonstrate strong leadership from the Government on the Living Wage, to back up its own commitment as Scotlands most prominent Living Wage employer. These activities may be well supported as a function of a Scottish Government Living Wage Unit. There is strong support from a range of civil society organisations for the establishment of a Living Wage Unit, along similar lines to that already established within the office of the London Mayor, which provides independent analysis and data gathering of the impact of the Living Wage. The SYP feels that the creation of a Living Wage Unit would be beneficial in delivering a Living Wage Strategic Plan and in assessing the impact of the Living Wage in Scotland, which we are confident would be positive and complement efforts by Government and campaigners to encourage all employers, from private, public or voluntary sectors alike, to adopt a Living Wage policy. The Scottish Youth Parliament feels that the Scottish Ministers should include information on progress on a Living Wage Strategic Plan and the work of a Living Wage Unit, including details on the work of any of the activities included above as well as other work undertaken to support and promote the Living Wage in Scotland.

Living Wage (Scotland) Bill Scottish Youth Parliament response

Q8. Is the proposed Bill likely to have any substantial positive or negative implications for equality? If it is likely to have a substantial negative implication, how might this be minimised or avoided? The Scottish Youth Parliament believes that the Living Wage has a significant and substantially positive impact on equality for young workers, women, disabled people and people from BME and migrant communities. The proposed Bill is likely to have a substantially positive equality impact. As the consultation document notes, an increase in the number of employers paying at least the Living Wage is likely to have a particularly positive impact on migrant workers, who are currently more likely to be employed in low-paying jobs. It is likely to benefit people from BME communities who are currently twice as likely to live in low income households as white people. It is likely to benefit women, who remain paid less than men in the UK on average, despite it being 42 years since the passage of the Equal Pay Act, and are statistically more likely to be employed in low-paid jobs. It is likely to benefit women who work part-time because of childcare and family commitments, who will be able to earn more for the same amount of hours. It is likely to benefit disabled people who are also more likely to be working in low-paid jobs. Of particular significance for the Scottish Youth Parliament is the extremely beneficial effect an increase in the number of Living Wage employers is likely to have on young workers. Indeed, it is for this reason that our MSYPs voted to prioritise a national SYP campaign for a Living Wage. On the whole, young people earn far less than the rest of the population according to the most recent Office for National Statistics figures, the median full time earnings for 16-17 year olds in the UK was 161.90 per week (about 4.63 per hour) and 277.80 for 18-21 year olds (about 7.93 per hour); compared with 406.60 for the mid-point of 22-29 year olds earnings (11.62 per hour).8 Part of the explanation for this can be found in the jobs that young people can find. The jobs paying lowest on average are Sales and Customer Service (with almost 60% of employees earning less that 7.20 per hour) and Elementary Occupations (e.g. cleaners, labourers) where over 50% are paid less than the Living Wage figure, both sectors where a significant number of young people work, either full-time or part-time combined with studies. Of far greater significance however, is the legalised discrimination of the National Minimum Wage system. The Scottish Youth Parliament has long called for the Minimum Wage to be equalised. The current system, consisting of a rate for those aged 21 and over, and separate, inferior rates for those aged 18-20 and those aged 16-17 is not acceptable if young people are to be valued and treated as equal members of society. It is manifestly unfair that a young person can be paid significantly less than a colleague doing exactly the same job, simply based on how old they are.

2011 Annual Survey of Household Earnings - http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/rel/ashe/annual-surveyof-hours-and-earnings/ashe-results-2011/ashe-statistical-bulletin-2011.html#tab-Earnings-by-agegroup Living Wage (Scotland) Bill Scottish Youth Parliament response 10

These variable rates are compounding the effect of low pay on young people. Following the recent uprating of the Scottish Living Wage and the Adult Rate of the National Minimum Wage, the gap between the Living Wage and what a young person can legally be paid has grown wider. With a Minimum Wage of 6.19 per hour for those aged 21 and older, a full time worker could be paid 2,293 per year less than they would at Living Wage rates. However, this grows to 4,495 per year for those aged 18 to 20 and a staggering 6,861 per year for those aged 16 and 17 working full time at National Minimum Wage rates.9 To put this into even sharper focus, following the uprating of the Living Wage, the 16-17 Minimum Wage of 3.68 per hour is now less than half the Scottish Living Wage (7.45 per hour). Whilst it is the case that many young people combine part-time work with fulltime education, an increase in the number of Living Wage employers would play a key role in preventing students education being compromised in order to prevent them falling into poverty. The Cubie Report recommended that full-time students should work a maximum of 10 hours per week, but National Union of Students Scotland research suggests that 68% of students in employment work longer hours than this.10 At the 18-20 National Minimum Wage rate, students would need to work almost 15 hours per week to make as much as they would from 10 hours at Living Wage rates. Q9. Do you have any other comments on or suggestions relevant to the proposal? The Scottish Youth Parliament strongly recommends the Scottish Government consider establishing an accredited Scottish Living Wage Employer recognition scheme. In addition to the positive measures proposed by the Bill, another potential method of encouraging payment of a Living Wage across the private and voluntary sectors as a whole, and potentially assisting public bodies procure services from Living Wage employers, would be for the Scottish Government to set up a recognition scheme for employers that pay a Scottish Living Wage. This could be similar to the Living Wage Foundations employer accreditation scheme for UK employers, which provides employers with a licence to a Living Wage Employer kitemark following an accreditation process and recognises them at the annual Living Wage Awards. 11 A distinct Scottish Living Wage Employers kitemark, coupled with public recognition of socially responsible employers, delivered following a accreditation scheme affordable to employers small and large, would be a powerful statement of
Calculated on the basis of 35 hours per week at the hourly Living Wage and National Minimum Wage rates from November 2012. 10 Still In The Red Student Finance in 2010, NUS Scotland http://www.nus.org.uk/PageFiles/12238/STILL%20IN%20THE%20RED%20REPORT%20FINAL.pdf 11 Living Wage: A Guide for Employers, Living Wage Foundation http://www.livingwage.org.uk/sites/default/files/Living%20Wage%20%20A%20Guide%20for%20Employers%20-%20Nov%202012_0.pdf#overlay-context=employers Living Wage (Scotland) Bill Scottish Youth Parliament response 11

support from the Scottish Government for the principle of the Living Wage and could have a hugely beneficial impact on the number of employers from the private and voluntary sectors choosing to implement a Living Wage. The Scottish Youth Parliament strongly recommends the Scottish Government consider establishing an accredited Scottish Living Wage Employer recognition scheme. Summary of Recommendations The Scottish Youth Parliament supports the general aims of the proposed Living Wage (Scotland) Bill. The Scottish Youth Parliament urges the Scottish Government to work with campaigners, legal experts and agencies who have successfully extended their Living Wage commitment to the services they procure, to explore all possible avenues to ensure that contractors pay employees working on public sector contracts a Living Wage without contravening European law, and for suitable provisions to be included in the Living Wage (Scotland) Bill to achieve this purpose. The Scottish Youth Parliament believes that the Living Wage should be promoted in all public contracts, by all public bodies. The Scottish Youth Parliament recommends that a public consultation on a draft Living Wage Strategic Plan is undertaken, open to all organisations and individuals with an interest in it to comment on proposals. The Scottish Youth Parliament recommends that the Scottish Ministers report should include information on progress on a Living Wage Strategic Plan and details of any work undertaken to support and promote the Living Wage in Scotland. The Scottish Youth Parliament recommends the Scottish Government investigate establishing a Living Wage Unit which could play an effective part in delivering the Living Wage Strategic Plan. The Scottish Youth Parliament believes that the Living Wage has a significant and substantially positive impact on equality for young workers, women, disabled people and people from BME and migrant communities. The Scottish Youth Parliament strongly recommends the Scottish Government consider establishing an accredited Scottish Living Wage Employer recognition scheme.

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For further information contact: Rob Gowans Policy and Research Officer Scottish Youth Parliament A: Gordon Lamb House, 3 Jacksons Entry, Edinburgh, EH8 8PJ T: 0131 557 0452 E: rob.g@syp.org.uk W: www.syp.org.uk

Living Wage (Scotland) Bill Scottish Youth Parliament response

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