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Cabinet to hear STUC views
12/05/2009
The Scottish Cabinet will today welcome representatives from the STUC including Grahame Smith, general secretary, to Bute House to deliver a pre-Cabinet presentation on how together we can chart Scotland's way out of the current economic downturn.
The presentation will be the first in a series of six, under the title "Working together to ensure that Scotland is well equipped to deal with the current recession and emerge from it strongly".
The move comes following the success of last year's drive to allow Cabinet to hear the views and concerns of wider Scottish society, which saw Cabinet travel to different parts of the country for a series of National Conversation forums.
This year the STUC, business organisations, local government, the third sector and Scotland's Faith Groups, and the Secretary of State have been invited to share their views directly in the form of a presentation.
Speaking ahead of the meeting First Minister Alex Salmond said:
"The Scottish Government has pursued a programme to promote recovery and protect jobs in Scotland from the current economic recession. While we are continuing to develop and expand that programme we need to hear the views of our social partners to ensure that we are best placed to take advantage of Scotland's strengths. That is why I'm delighted that the STUC have agreed to be the first to deliver a pre-Cabinet presentation to the Scottish Government.
"As the Office of National Statistics figures released today show, unemployment in Scotland is lower than the UK average. However, we have still seen sharp rises. It is clear that we face a serious recession - which prioritises what we are doing today.
"As we move forward we will always remain open to new ideas and that is why we are determined to work hand in hand with our social partners. We need to re-double our efforts to prepare our nation to recover first and strongest from the current downturn. Now more than ever a team approach is vital. The STUC's ideas will be a welcome contribution."
Grahame Smith, STUC General Secretary said:
"The STUC welcomes this opportunity to deliver a pre-Cabinet presentation to the Scottish Government. It is essential that the Scottish Government's response to recession is comprehensive and coherent in order to ensure that the mistakes of past recessions are not repeated. We look forward to discussing the Government's response to date and ways in might be enhanced"