STUC arranged a conference event for members of unions participating in the political fund. Kuri was one of the speakers at this event.

It is no secret that over the last term I was responsible for holding the Scottish Government to account over the finances and economy of Scotland. Along with my good from Minion, we secured many changes to the budget prepared by the SNP. Essential changes, no less.

I wish to continue this good grasp of finance, economic and business matters into the new year. Labour are and always will be the party of the working class. We are on your side, from fighting in Westminster for the Meidner and Marcora frameworks, to implementing changes on a Scottish level too. While we don’t have control of worker rights laws in Scotland — being an area still under the control of Westminster — that will not stop Scottish Labour from improving working conditions. The Real Living Wage campaign and the Good Business Charter have both been effective voluntary schemes that have improved workers’ rights. Over 180,000 people are employed at businesses accredited by the Good Business Charter, and there are over 14,000 employers who are accredited by the Real Living Wage Foundation. I fully recognise that the law and unions both have a vital role to play, and I will continue to pursue this at a Westminster level. But in the context of Scotland, having our own Good Work Charter means we can determine what matters to us as a country.

Some of the areas that we wish to see covered include eliminating insecure working practices except where asked for as a reasonable adjustment, a commitment to the real living wage. And most importantly, perhaps to all of you, a commitment to safeguarding and facilitating union activity in the workplace. While subjecting members to detriment for union activity is certainly protected, employers may still try to be as obstructive as possible within the law. For example, I am sure plenty of people in this room will know the difficulty of attending meetings at an unorganised workplace. Often employers will demand to have the meeting in person, even though you as the member’s rep live on the other side of Scotland. The Good Work Charter will guarantee the rights of union reps to attend all meetings — including things like redundancy and without prejudice settlement negotiations — and to attend by a format that works for the member and their rep. That may be in person, but it may also be by phone or online.

The Scottish Government will ensure that all public sector workers are covered by the Good Work Charter. It is no use saying what ought to be happening when we aren’t doing it ourselves. That’s why we will also make it a requirement for all companies bidding on Scottish Government tenders to be accredited by the Good Work Charter as well. This will have a significant impact on increasing adoption, and it will become the norm in many industries to be Good Work Charter accredited. To not be will act as a competitive disadvantage. This requirement will also be integrated into the conditions of receiving funding from our proposed Scottish National Investment Bank. For businesses to be eligible, they will need to become accredited under the Good Work Charter, protecting workers and requiring the reduction of emissions.

I recognise that many workers here today will want businesses and organisations to be responsible citizens and do the right thing. But sometimes, businesses need a nudge to achieve this. Scottish Labour will reform charity law so that the existing law is clarified and charities can operate unimpeded. But we'll ensure that charities can't be used to support causes which aren't actually charitable.

We'll also reintroduce water charges for business use. While we anticipate this will be low for many businesses, water is a precious commodity and must be preserved where possible. As such, those with high water usage will be encouraged to reduce their use through innovation and inventions as well as good water management policies.

Of course, the vision Labour has for Scotland is bold. But as a trade unionist myself, coming from the CWU, I know that the bold plans are the ones that work best. They are the ones that are worth it. We never asked our manager if the business could be a bit nicer to us. We set out our demands, and told them what the situation was. And we got changes. The same principle applies here with the Good Work Charter.

Thanks for listening to my vision for a Bright Future for All. Just a quick reminder that the Scottish Parliament elections are on Friday. We're now going for a break for lunch, but I'll be back in an hour here on Stage 1 where the panel will talk about the threat of surveillance in workplaces, particularly with the rise of AI.