You are:

Candidate's response - Morag Balfour-Scottish Socialist Party

Candidate's responses will be posted here as soon as we receive them.

You can contact this candidate by post or email at:

  • Address: Suite 308-310 4th Floor, Central Chambers, 93 Hope Street, Glasgow G2 6LP
  • Email: mo2001@blueyonder.co.uk

 

 

Q1   PCS is campaigning for a national civil service pay framework and protection of members' pay from erosion by inflation. Do you support PCS's campaign against cuts in real pay for public servants?

In line with SSP policy I fully support the PCS campaign for fair pay for public servants and completely oppose below inflation pay caps imposed by both the London and Scottish government.

Our policy of an £8 an hour minimum wage complements PCS policy. I think it is a disgrace that thousands of civil servants earn less than £16 000 a year.

Since the break up of national pay bargaining by the Tories and continued under Labour, pay differentials for staff across departments doing similar jobs has widened.

I therefore welcome the constructive attempts by PCS to establish a common pay framework to try and address the many discrepancies that exist.

I note the industrial action reluctantly called by PCS to defend their members' living standards. Along with my party colleagues I offer our full support in any possible way and wish you well in your campaign for a fair and just pay settlement.

Q2   PCS is concerned that the latest proposals to reform welfare will mean cutting benefits and increasing pressure on some of the most vulnerable in society, without increasing the public resources aimed at helping them. Where do you stand on the Green Paper on welfare reform?

I believe that the government and the civil service should be about providing welfare and support in a caring and compassionate manner. The use of penalties and compulsion on the most vulnerable in society is wrong.

Accordingly I question the Green Paper not just on the basis that it will withdraw benefits to vulnerable people but also on the ideology behind it. People wishing to work often find that they do not have proper access to services that would allow them to do so. An obvious example being proper, affordable child care.

Similarly support for those on Incapacity Benefit should be done in a positive and constructive manner and should not just be about setting and meeting targets. This creates stress for clients and benefits staff alike.

Q3   PCS is concerned that the government has privatised more of the civil service since 1997 than the Conservative government did in 18 years. These privatisations are costly and unnecessary as they are jeopardising services being delivered to the public. Where do you stand on privatising public services, such as the delivery of employment services, or security in Revenue & Customs?

I believe that public servants, funded through a fair and proper taxation service, best provide public services. The private sector's motivation is for profit and providing the highest dividend to its shareholders.

Experience of privatisation of public services has not been good and many who work in providing these key services face the prospect of cuts to their wages terms and conditions.

I find it incredible that after incidents like losing the child benefit data on discs the government is proposing to privatise security throughout that department.

Similarly plans to place contracts with private companies and charities to provide employment services are wrong. Jobcentre plus staff will have their work privatised while large employment agencies aim to profit out of the unemployed and all at the taxpayers expense.

The SSP stands for people not profit and will support PCS in opposing privatisation in every way possible.