TRADE union and opposition leaders have said that the SNP government must go further to ensure workers are put at the heart of Scotland’s economic recovery from the Covid-19 crisis. 

During a debate in Holyrood today, the government set out its intentions.

Cabinet Secretary for Finance and the Economy Kate Forbes underlined the need to bring forward a sustainable economic recovery. 

The SNP MSP thanked workers for their sacrifice during the pandemic, promising a multimillion-pound package of support for businesses who continue to be hit by Covid-19 restrictions. 

Despite the thanks, concerns were raised about the lack of direct mention in Ms Forbes’s speech for workers. 

The Scottish Trades Union Congress (STUC) called for a new industrial strategy and a plan for jobs requiring much more ambition, more government investment and a greater role for the public sector.

STUC general secretary Roz Foyer said: “Now is the time for government and council-led public works programmes to create jobs in sustainable house building, green retrofit, transport and the renewable energy supply chain.

“Economic recovery, particularly local recovery, will be driven by money in workers’ pockets and that means commitments to real terms pay rises and an end to poverty pay.”

The support outlined for taxi drivers by the government was also questioned, with Unite Scotland claiming that the support package offered falls short of the measures promised to stabilise the trade.

Glasgow Labour MSP Paul Sweeney said: “Unless this parliament comes more alive to economic alienation, exploitation and hardship faced by millions of Scots and do everything in our power to address it, we will never realise our full potential. 

“What is home rule if our industries are ruled by faceless men in boardrooms far from Scotland and our government isn’t prepared to defend them?”

Calls for greater government intervention and public spending were made by Scottish Green Party co-leader Lorna Slater, who said a major increase in investment was needed to secure a green economic recovery. 

She said: “We have a window of opportunity now to create new industries, to plan and create this new economy. To ensure the jobs are there when we need them to be.”