Scotland Demands Better is our chance to come together and demand that politicians make the changes we need for a society where every household can thrive and prosper.
Our supporter organisations have come together to highlight the practical changes that our political leaders could make to support a better Scotland. These are common sense policies that can return justice and compassion to our public life, and give people a stable foundation to build a better future.
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We demand better jobs for everyone who needs one with fair conditions and wages that pay the bills.
To get there we need policies which:
Contribute to ending in-work poverty in Scotland by taking bold action to drive up pay and conditions; and
Give everyone in Scotland affordable access to the education, training and skills they needed and recognise education as a public good.
The first steps we demand are:
Scottish Government to introduce sectoral bargaining in low-paid sectors, like social care
Employers across Scotland to step up and commit to living wage, living hours and living pensions for all with the Scottish Government doing everything in its power to require this
UK Government to deliver on its promise to end exploitative zero hours contracts and strengthen employment rights
Scottish Government to make student support equivalent to the real living wage available to all Higher Education and Further Education students
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We demand better investment for life's essentials: like affordable homes, good public transport, a thriving natural environment and strong public services.
To get there we need policies which ensure we all:
Have an affordable, accessible and warm home.
Can travel to work, education, health and leisure using affordable, accessible, safe and green public transport wherever possible.
Can access the public services we need to support us to live a decent and dignified life free from poverty; and
Take fair, bold and fast action on climate that benefits local communities, protects those on low-incomes and ensures that the biggest polluters pay for their damage.
The first steps we demand are:
5. Long term funding from the Scottish Government for building new social homes and well resourced action to protect private renters from unaffordable rents
6. The UK Government to create a real social tariff to guarantee lower bills for low-income households and those with unavoidably high energy needs
7. The Scottish Government to expand concessionary travel to under 25s, unpaid carers and people on low-income and disability benefits.
8. The Scottish Government to end damaging and unfair social care charges and reform the system, increasing investment in social care to protect our human rights and give us choice, control and high-quality support
9. The Scottish Government to introduce fair and sustainable funding of three years or more for community and voluntary organisations
10. The Scottish Government to expand and fairly fund energy efficiency and clean home heating schemes, putting the fight against fuel poverty at the centre of their design.
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We demand better social security so that all of us have a foundation for the future.
To get there we need policies which:
Ensure Scotland meets its legally binding child poverty targets.
Enable disabled people to live lives of dignity, free from poverty.
Place the value of care at the heart of our society and invest in it.
Deliver an acceptable standard of living for everyone.
The first steps we demand are:
11. Scottish Government to immediately increase the Scottish Child Payment to £40 per week and commit to it reaching at least £55 by 2030.
12. UK Government to end damaging and unfair cuts and increase disability benefits to reflect the true additional costs of being disabled.
13. The Scottish Government to widen eligibility for and significantly boost the value of the Carers Support Payment for unpaid carers.
14. UK Government to set the path for the introduction of a Minimum Income Guarantee by scrapping the two child limit.