Scottish Labour can’t avoid blame for decisions made by Keir Starmer in Westminster, a trade union leader has warned. Derek Thomson of Unite described the winter fuel payment cut as “shameful” and predicted it could cost the party support in the long-term.
The UK Government has faced a backlash since Rachel Reeves announced the winter fuel payment would become means-tested, a decision the SNP Government then replicated in Scotland. The Chancellor has defended the cut as necessary at a time when the UK public finances face a £22billion black hole caused by unaffordable spending commitments by the previous Tory government.
Thomson, Unite Scottish regional secretary, described the decision to axe the benefit as “shameful”. He told the Record: “It’s a baffling decision for a new Government to make. My mother is apoplectic with rage. She voted Labour, now she’s losing her winter fuel payment.
“This is a lifeline for people over a cold winter. I find it shameful they have justified it as: ‘tough decisions have to be made’. Well, they do, but this is the wrong decision at the wrong time.”
Asked if it would cost Labour in the long-run, he added: “Absolutely. In Scotland, we look at things differently to the Labour/Tory domination of Westminster. Both the SNP and Labour, in my view, can put forward progressive things in the Scottish Parliament.”
Thomson said Unite would be making it clear to both parties ahead of the next Holyrood election in 2026 that investment in public services was vital. He said: “We will be coming up with our own demands of the parties in 2026,” he added. “We will make sure the workers’ agenda is right there. We will be pushing over the next year on public services, making sure we don’t go down the route of privatisation or out-sourcing.
“People are really struggling and public services are on their knees. Have Labour let themselves down? Yes. Some people say to me, it’s not Scottish Labour’s fault over what’s happened.
“Well, Scottish Labour stood on the coat tails of UK Labour at the general election. They said, ‘back us on Grangemouth’, and failed to deliver. In my view, they are just as culpable as UK Labour.”
Thomson and Unite are continuing to campaign for a long-term future for Grangemouth following the recent announcement the site’s oil refinery would close in 2025. The union previously ripped up invites to both John Swinney and Anas Sawar to attend a recent conference in Dundee in protest at the refinery closure.
Thomson added: “It’s not going to be business as usual for politicians when it comes to dealing with Unite. A lot of our members in health, local authority and education are at breaking point with cuts.
“They are having to do the job with less staff. In the public sector you never see wholesale redundancies, what you see is people leaving and not being replaced. One person ends up doing five people’s work.”
A Scottish Labour spokeswoman said: “Labour will always stand up for workers and the UK government is already delivering for working people. Work is underway to boost pay and deliver the greatest boost to workers’ rights in a generation through the New Deal for Working people, and there is a package of support to help secure an industrial future for Grangemouth.
“Scottish Labour has set out fully-costed plans to protect the most vulnerable this winter and we urge the SNP to work with us to deliver them. After 14 years of economic vandalism by the Tories, Labour is working to fix the foundations and deliver a decade of national renewal.”
A UK Government spokesperson said: “We are committed to supporting pensioners – with millions set to see their state pension rise by up to £1,700 this parliament through our commitment to the Triple Lock. Over a million pensioners will still receive the Winter Fuel Payment, and our drive to boost Pension Credit take up has already seen a 152 per cent increase in claims.
“Many others will also benefit from the £150 Warm Home Discount to help with energy bills over winter while our extension of the Household Support Fund will help with the cost of food, heating and bills.”
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