THERE are just two days to go until the General Election – but what exactly is on offer for workers?

For this week’s On The Picket Line, we decided to do a deep dive into the manifestos of each pro-independence party, with a particular focus on what they have to say about workers’ rights.

Ahead of the polls opening on Thursday, the Scottish Trades Union Congress (STUC) – the largest trade union body in Scotland – called on workers to use their vote “to back those who back us”.

Roz Foyer (below), general secretary of the STUC, said: “Voters in Scotland stand on the brink of consigning this crooked Conservative Government to the chronicles of history.

“For too long have they engineered the destruction of the social fabric of our communities and extinguished people’s hopes for a brighter future. That can all change tomorrow.

“Removing the Tories from government is the utmost priority. Our voices and our votes matter and we must not be complacent about the outcome of this election.

“The STUC does not try to dictate to Scotland’s workers who they should vote for, but we all know which parties and politicians have been complicit in damaging our livelihoods and taking away our rights.

“We also know those who have stood beside our movement - from Parliament to the picket lines.

“Last week we launched our six-point plan for change. All 660,000 trade union members in Scotland can play a decisive role in shaping the political landscape of our nation.

“We should use our vote to back those who back us.”

But what exactly does each party say about workers’ rights?

SNP

The SNP look set to lose seats on Thursday, with many polls suggesting they will no longer hold a majority of seats in Scotland.

When it comes to workers' rights, the party’s manifesto pledges to “end 14 years of austerity” by reversing cuts to public services, to “empower workers” by scrapping zero-hours contracts and fire and rehire practices, and repealing the Minimum Service Levels legislation which was implemented by the Conservatives.

The SNP have also pledged to devolve employment rights and the minimum wage, to amend the definition of worker to strengthen protections for those with unfair contracts, to scrap the sick pay threshold, to increase paid maternity leave to one year and to protect the right to strike.

Scottish Greens

The Scottish Greens' manifesto proposes an annual wealth tax for the top 1% of households in the UK – those with £3.4 million and above. This would rise to 5% for those with £5.7m and above, and 10% for those with £18.2m.

The party argues that a wealth tax on this scale would “raise £70 billion for our public services”. A similar wealth tax has also been proposed by the STUC.

In addition to this, the Scottish Greens also pledged to enact a “real” New Deal for Workers, which would consist of the following:

• Repeal the “anti-trade union” laws brought in by the Conservative government
• Support greater collective bargaining
• Remove the two-year qualifying period for protection against unfair dismissal
• Ban zero-hours contracts
• Ensure staff can travel safely to and from work
• Raise the minimum wage to establish a real living wage
• Begin transitioning to a four day working week across all sectors
• Legislate to grant private sector employees the right to buy the company for which they work
• Strengthen equal pay regulation and gender pay gap reporting

Alba

The Alba Party’s manifesto focuses on Scottish independence, the cost of living crisis and “protecting the rights of women and girls”.

In relation to workers, the manifesto also mentions the closure of the Grangemouth oil refinery - which Unite has opposed - set to close as early as 2025.

The manifesto reads: “The Alba Party wholeheartedly support the workers at Grangemouth and the work of Unite the Union in defending jobs dependent on the refinery.”

Alba pledged to fight to save Grangemouth from closure and to support a “sustainable” future for North Sea oil and gas workers.

Industrial reaction

Outside of the election, Unite has confirmed it has a mandate for its members taking strike action in cleansing and waste services across 16 of Scotland’s councils.

The union said it would reveal further details of strike action in the coming days, although said it could begin in just over two weeks’ time.