20th
August 2007
McNeil Condemns “Scrooge” Justice
Minister
MSP for Greenock and Inverclyde, Duncan
McNeil, has condemned the Justice Minister’s decision to pull the plug on
moves to give Scotland’s shopworkers a guaranteed day off at New Year.
The previous
Labour-led Executive had pledged to undertake a study into the effects of a New
Year holiday for staff in large retail outlets.
Today, however, Justice Minister, Kenny MacAskill, shelved this research,
killing off any hope of shopworkers enjoying a legally protected holiday on
January 1st.
Mr McNeil
said:
“The SNP
wanted to give well-paid civil servants in Edinburgh St Andrew’s Day off, but
they don’t think low-paid shop staff in Greenock are even worth one day with
their families at new year.
“Will SNP
MSPs be working on New Year’s Day? Or
will they be at home tucking into a steak pie with their family?
“Where is
the evidence that this move would be disastrous for the economy or tourism?
Who comes to Scotland to buy a fitted kitchen on New Year’s Day?
This research might well have produced such evidence – but you can draw
your own conclusions from the fact that they've spiked it.”
ENDS
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