SNP and Living Wage success

Western Isles SNP group welcomed the news that Comhairle nan Eilean Siar has at last been  accredited as a Living Wage employer.

SNP Group leader Councillor Gordon Murray said: “We are delighted that the council are now an accredited Living Wage employer. It has been one of our major campaigns spanning two terms that the group have worked on. It was back in February 2014 when the council tried to include Distant Islands Allowance as part of the Living Wage thus negating the costs of living in the islands for the lowest paid. The  SNP Group argued against this and won the argument. In December 2014, the SNP Group supported by former councilor Neil Beaton put forward an amendment to backdate the Living Wage to 2013 and were outvoted. However, in February 2015, the council administration relented and agreed to backdating the Living Wage to 2013.”

“Our average income in the islands is one of the lowest in Scotland. With the years of austerity imposed on us by the UK Government, the financial challenges facing our islands are great and especially to those who earn the least. With the levels of Fuel Poverty so high in the Outer Hebrides and one of the major contributing factors to Fuel Poverty is the low levels of wages for a lot of working people, the implementation of the Living Wage is of huge importance.”