 The final item of business is a member's business debate on motion 10859, the name of Lewis MacDonald. Quietly please, on the 150th anniversary of Aberdeen Trade Union Council, this debate will be concluded without any questions being put. Can I ask those members who wish to speak in the debate, please, press their request to speak buttons now? I call on Lewis MacDonald to open the debate. Mr MacDonald, please. Thank you, Deputy Presiding Officer. It is a real honour to mark the 150th anniversary of Aberdeen Trade Union Council here today, just as it is indeed an honour personally to be designated as a consultative member of ATUC. I am grateful to all members across the chamber who have signed my motion and to those who will speak in the debate. I am delighted to that Donna Clark and Laura MacDonald from the Executive Committee of Aberdeen Trade Union Council are here with us. ATUC President Kathleen Kennedy and other colleagues would have been here too, were it not that this debate coincides with the annual gathering of the Scottish Trade Union Congress in Abymor, which of course they could not miss. My own party leader is there too, otherwise he would no doubt have hoped to take part in this debate. I know that Richard Leonard would want me to offer his congratulations to Aberdeen Trade Unionists on this important milestone, so highly does he value the contribution of all our trade councils. That movement had its origins in local societies of skilled crafts workers, bringing together members of a single craft in a town or city to protect wages, conditions and access to work. Such local societies made common cause with others in the same trade in other parts of the country, forming first federations and then amalgamated societies, the first national trade unions. However, at the same time as those were being formed, an equally important development was taking place. Where trade unions were formed from the coming together of members of a single trade in different places, trades councils were formed by workers joining hands across different trades and industries in a single area, and indeed that joining hands is what is symbolised in the badge of Aberdeen TUC. The trade union movement that we know today combines both those kinds of solidarity, both industrial and geographic, and Aberdeen Trade Council played a vital role in making that happen in the latter part of the 19th century. Even before then, Aberdeen was at the forefront of the workers movement. Local craft unions were active back in the 1700s, non-craft seafarers were combining to take industrial action as early as 1792, and an Aberdeen female operatives union led a five-week strike of textile factory workers back in 1834. Aberdeen trade unionists were among the first to organise across trades and among less skilled workers. In an industrial city, many miles from other industrial areas, local solidarity was as important as national trade unions, and it was from that recognition that Aberdeen Trade Council was born. That still matters for trade unionism in Aberdeen to this day. The offshore co-ordinating group in the oil and gas industry, for example, brings together unions of crafts and catering workers, seafarers and helicopter crews entirely in line with that long-established culture of working together across sectors. The creation of a single trades council in 1868 was the culmination of years of effort in that direction. Aberdeen trades councils soon had 50 delegates from more than 20 trades in such industries as construction, granite working and ship building, and from a society of general labourers as well. It was thanks to the leadership of the trades council that non-craft workers were able to join together in general and industrial unions earlier in Aberdeen than almost anywhere else. Dock labourers, seafarers, gas stokers and farm servants were all organised and affiliated through their local societies to Aberdeen trades council by the 1880s, a time when similar organisations were just getting started in other places. The trade union congress, representing trades unions and trades councils across Great Britain and Ireland, met in Aberdeen in 1884 with the president of Aberdeen trades council presiding. It was Aberdeen trades council, which called a conference in 1895 to address the issue of solidarity across different trades in Scotland, an initiative that led directly to the creation of the STUC. It is therefore fitting that today we debate the anniversary of Aberdeen trades council in the week of the STUC congress, as the two have been so closely linked from the outset. Not only that, but the STUC continues to represent local trades councils in a way that the STUC does not. Aberdeen trades union council has three delegates this week's Scottish congress, voting on the same basis as national trade unions. Jimmy Milne, who led Aberdeen trades council in the post-war years, went on to lead the STUC. The distinctive character of the STUC and of trade unionism in Scotland owes a great deal to the history and character of trade union organisation and action in Aberdeen. The unique circumstances of the Granite City and the need for local solidarity in the face of geographic disadvantage have been writ large, not just in Aberdeen, but in a Scottish trade union movement that sustains the same principle of diversity and the principle of solidarity at both national and regional level. So, too, with political action, the reverent C.C. MacDonald, the Gallic-speaking Minister of St Clement's Paris Church in Fiti, told the TUC, at its Aberdeen congress in 1884, that it is not enough for you to exercise the franchise. You must also represent yourselves. An Aberdeen trades council was one of the first in Britain to put forward independent working-class candidates for school boards for the local council and for Parliament. That tradition, too, remains strong. Leading lights in Aberdeen trades council in recent years, like Ronnie Webster and Jurgen Tominek, have also been leading lights in the local Labour Party and local government. Trade unionists working across trades, seeking political change and looking beyond their own members, too. Aberdeen trade unionists backed the recent action by local bus drivers in defence of their terms and conditions, just in the same way as the trades council came together to back the stone masons in 1868 and to organise the general strike in Aberdeen in 1926. However, that solidarity is not with local trade union members alone. Just as Aberdeen trades council took action in support of the victims of highland clearances in the 1890s, so it championed the cause of democracy in Chile and in South Africa in the 1980s, and it supports Syrian refugees in the northeast today. Aberdeen trade unionists will mark international workers memorial day at the memorial garden a week on Saturday. We will march together for Mayday, and we will also come together to mark St Andrew's day with a demonstration against racism and fascism. The vitality, solidarity and strength of Aberdeen trade unionism have played a major part in Scotland's story for 150 years and more. I am certain that that will continue to be the case for many years to come. Thank you very much, Mr MacDonald. I call Stuart Stevenson to be followed by Tom Mason. Mr Stevenson, please. Thank you, Presiding Officer. Let me start by congratulating Lewis on giving us the opportunity to debate the important milestone for the Aberdeen trade union council, and indeed for the whole of North East Scotland. It is always as well to remember what the world looked like in 1868. It was actually the year that the First TUC Congress took place in Manchester. It was the last year in which penal transportation to Australia took place, and it was the last year in which there was a public hanging. Across the water in the United States, the 14th amendment to the American constitution was passed, which gave freed slaves citizenship of the United States, a very different world from the world in which we live today. However, it is still a relevant matter that the trade council continues to operate after 150 years, continuing to promote and improve economic and social conditions for working people. Although it has witnessed a few name changes through the years, the council has remained active in its campaigns for dignity, equality and diversity in the workplace and beyond. Let us focus on that word beyond the council's campaigning. Although the name of the council might suggest that the council is only focused on the working class of the north-east of Scotland, the council is actually very much more than that. On Saturday 7 April, the A2UC held a protest in St Nicholas Square, showing solidarity with the people of Gaza after atrocities were committed against them on land day 2018. Even while celebrating its illustrious anniversary, the council found time to promote dignity, equality and diversity of those outside of Scotland. The council's involvement in foreign affairs goes back even further. There are various memorabilia in their Adelphi office. There is a Spanish flag used to wrap round the bodies of two Abardonians who died fighting during the Spanish Civil War. However, the council was initially created, as stated in its objectives to advance and protect the rights of Labour, as well as the wellbeing of the working class. To do that, the council took active roles, Lewis MacDonald has referred to some of them, in the trade and in municipal matters within Aberdeen, at a point where there were quite limited opportunities for ordinary folk to participate in the democratic process. Beyond Aberdeen, the council was a key player in the development of the trade union movement across Scotland, helping to find the SDUC in 1897, which is still very active today, as we have just also heard. As we have heard, Jimmy Milne and others have been senior officials in the SDUC. References have been made to the May Day rally, occurring annually every year since 1890. Known as Internal Workers Day, people across the globe take to the streets in celebration of Labourers and the working class. That is solidarity demonstrated for many, many years. As the council moves forward, the challenge is that it faces change only slightly. As joint president Tyrone Rutherford mentioned at the Aberdeen Civic reception in March, the goal has not changed, the tactics have. They still want to pass peanuts to maximised profits, and they will do that to anyone that they see fit. Victorian men and women showed up at the factory with no guarantee of work or pay, and they are not much different from the workers that deliver who race one another to get people's food orders. I hope that, moving forward, the A2UC continues to act as a catalyst for change, continues to support people in the time of need. It has been an important figurehead and practical source of trade union organisation in representation in Aberdeen and the north-east. Thank you very much. I call Tom Mason to be followed by Jackie Baillie. Thank you, Presiding Officer. I remind you that I am a stillness Aberdeen City Council and a citizen of Aberdeen. I would like first to congratulate the Aberdeen Trade Union Council on their 150th anniversary. I feel that it is fair to say that, as a Conservative, I do not always agree with the positions that the council has taken. However, I am certainly willing to celebrate, particularly as it has been part of the history and heritage of Aberdeen for the past 150 years. The politics and influences coming out of the Adelphi, that those who are not familiar with Aberdeen are based, have been prominent over the years and have shaped many of the organisation and structures that we now have in Aberdeen. I myself was indirectly associated with the council via membership of the EIS for 20 years. Whilst I never quite thought the union was on my side, it did have other interests that kept me as a member. Some elements of the ADUC politics I do find somewhat challenging to go along with. For instance, attempts to protest at the Scottish Conference Party conference, for instance. I do feel that there has been occasions where parties and politics have been given too high a priority. However, on this 150th birthday, I do not wish to focus on disagreement. I see that this anniversary has been marked with receptions from the Scottish Trade Union Council, Aberdeen City Council and an organised rally on International Women's Day. 150 years is certainly no mean feat. The context that we use to consider past events is always valuable. I think that it is wise to reflect upon the many different social changes that have been taking place over that time. When the ADUC was formed 150 years ago, the Prime Minister was Benjamin Tisraeli. A modernising one nation conservative, if it is not too bold to mention. In the late 19th century, working conditions for a significant percentage of the population were far more dangerous than any of us can contemplate were entertained today. Some of the foremost achievements of the trade unions have been that change in conditions, particularly at the turn of the 20th century and the move towards sustained industrialisation. Aberdeen City Council has a very proud industrial history. The Granite City was at the forefront of the ship building, fishing efforts in the 19th century. That industrial trend continues to this day when the importance of oil and gas is clear for all to see. Indeed, I am proud to represent the area here in Parliament. Now, of course, where there is industry, there are people. Whatever our political differences, I recognise it as the people that are at the heart of the ATUC's aims and objectives, and it is out of a desire to change for the better for these people. We may disagree on how to get there, but I think that we can agree across partisan divides. We all seek such goals in good faith. Then it opens the door to an honest and civil discussion that elements of politics have been lacking in recent years. So, in conclusion, Presiding Officer, being existing for 150 years is an achievement for just about any organisation, one worthy of congratulation. I note that the ATUC has been a part of many successes in happening throughout its history. While there are differences in opinion, I will do my best to engage in that good faith to find solutions that benefit all those that we represent. Thank you very much, Mr Mason. I call Jackie Baillie to be followed by Liam Kerr, who will be the last speaker in the open debate. Ms Baillie, please. Thank you, Presiding Officer, and let me join with others in congratulating Lewis MacDonald on securing debating time to celebrate Aberdeen trades council on their 150th anniversary. I am pleased to wear their badge in the chamber this evening to help with those celebrations, because, of course, it marks years of dedication and commitment to ensuring the highest possible standards in workers' rights and working conditions across Aberdeen and the north-east. The impact that they have had on the wider trade union movement and the continued success that I know they will have for years to come is a real testimony to those who have been a part of it at all levels over the years, and I wish them every luck for the future. There are many who have made a contribution to the trades council and the trade union movement in Aberdeen and the north-east, and I have to confess far too many to name although I thought that Lewis made a sterling job of doing so, but let me just single out one. He was an Aberdeenian, one-time secretary of the Aberdeen trades council, who took the trade union message out from Aberdeen to all of Scotland, and that was Jimmy Milne, general secretary of the STUC. He made his mark in Aberdeen by working for safer conditions for fishing trawler crews, but his interests were much wider than that. I well remember him as the founder of Treesbank, along with Glasgow trades council. That was an educational facility, I think in Kilmarnock, if I'm right, for trade unionists, which was the forerunner of its time, because it believed passionately in educating trade unionists to take the argument forward. I'm sure that many trade unionists have many happy memories of Treesbank, but when the Aberdeen trades council was set up in 1868, things were a little different, and I think that Stuart Stevenson has touched on that, but workers had few rights, their conditions were frankly appalling, women were confined to roles attached to their gender, and any hope of genuine representation for the working class in the world of politics was little more than a pipe dream. Then again, Presiding Officer, this is hardly surprising, given the fact that the Labour Party had not yet been founded. Of course, founded by the trade unions, it was undeniably the Labour Party, along with organisations such as Aberdeen trades council, that paved the way for workers' rights, transforming their conditions and giving working class women in particular the voice that they desperately needed. There are now some 14 trade unions affiliated to the Labour Party who are representing a wide variety of workers from more traditional industries, such as steel and mining, represented by community and the national union of mine workers, to manufacturing, covered by the GMBN Unite, and workers in retail, given a voice by Azdo. Over the last decades, those industries have been faced with a number of challenges. It was a strong and united trade union and Labour movement that stood shoulder to shoulder with the striking miners during the 1980s. It is Labour today that is fighting against exploitative zero-hours contracts alongside our colleagues in trade unions that many workers have no choice but to work under, giving them a complete lack of financial stability or job security. The world of work is changing. Workers and their pattern of work is changing. Unions are making that change too. They need to deal with more uncertainty in the workplace, the rise of the gig economy, deindustrialisation and trade unions and trade councils have a huge role to play. Many moons ago, when I was slightly younger than I am now, I used to be a member of Strathkelven district trade council. Now I am pleased to go along and support Western Bartonshire trade council when they invite me. It is that partnership of trade unions and their local communities that is so powerful. So let me conclude by congratulating again Aberdeen trades council on their achievements over the last 150 years. I look forward to their future over the next 150 years but, indeed, strengthen trades councils across Scotland. Thank you. Thank you very much, Ms Bailey. I call Liam Kerr. Thank you, Deputy Presiding Officer. Like others, I would like to congratulate Lewis MacDonald on securing this debate today. It is an important topic because, as Jackie Baillie has just reminded us, it is vital to recognise the progress that has been made in the century and a half that has passed since the formation of the Aberdeen trades union council both because of the council and, as Jackie Baillie says, the wider union movement. Now, the context in which the ATUC was founded was, of course, very different. The legal status of trade unions in the United Kingdom had only been established the year before by a royal commission on trade unions, which reported that their establishment was to the advantage of both employers and employees. Interestingly, that same year, 1867, was also the year that Dundee trades union council had its first recorded meeting. The 10-week great strike of 1868 by Aberdeen stone masons led to hardship and poverty for many of Aberdeen's residents, but it also led to the coming together of 13 societies and branches of masons and prompted the formal establishment of the council, principally by the Aberdeen branches of the associated carpenters and joiners of Scotland and the operative masons and granite workers union. 1868 was also the year that the trade union congress was established. It was not until 1871 that unions were formally legalised by the trade unions act. Tom Mason brought up Disraeli, who in 1875 improved the position of unions considerably when he introduced the conspiracy and protection of property act, which allowed peaceful picketing. And in 1878, the employers and workmen act, which enabled workers to sue employers in the civil courts if they broke employment contracts. The north-east looked very different in those days, too. The railway had reached Aberdeen some 18 years earlier, and in fact it was only a few months before the ATUC's formation in November 1867 that Aberdeen joint station opened. Shipbuilding boomed between the 1850s and 70s, and granite continued to be produced. A network of sewers was put into Aberdeen shortly before. All of that required labour, and labour required a voice. The ATUC aimed to provide that voice as reflected by the simple statement in its objects, the advancement and protection of the rights of labour and the wellbeing of the working classes generally. So for the next 150 years, the ATUC, a body made up of affiliated trade union branches and organisations in Aberdeen and Shire, would promote the interests of those affiliated organisations and seek united action, particularly to improve the economic and social conditions of working people. The changing times were reflected in its location until 1956. The ATUC spent most of its history in the trades hall in Belmont Street. Thereafter, it relocated to the Adelphi off Union Street, where perhaps very differently to 150 years ago, they are now bordered by a maritime museum, an outstanding Hungarian goulash restaurant, a letting agent, a mural celebrating women's suffrage and the asylum graphic novel store. And my caseworker tells me that the hall is a social as well as a union hub, with him having participated in live-action role-playing games and DJing at a wedding there. And as Stuart Stevenson says, the ATUC remains as relevant today as all those years ago. For example, playing a key role initially in the formation of the Scottish Trades Union Congress in 1897, providing council officers as elected presidents of that organisation, and laterally in 1973, when a Grampian Federation of Trades Council was established to represent trades across the Murray and Banff and Bucking areas. And also through a full and focused annual calendar of events, including since 1890, the May Day Rally, since 1998, the Workers Memorial Day, and since 2005, as Lewis MacDonald said, the St Andrews Day, anti-racism, anti-fascism march. The ATUC has over 150 years become a powerful force in the north-east. Disraeli memorably said that power has only one duty, to secure the social welfare of the people. I have little doubts that the ATUC will spend the next 150 years as it has the previous, using its power to do exactly that. Thank you very much, Mr Kerr. I now call on Keith Brown to close with the Government, Cabinet Secretary. Thank you, Presiding Officer, and thank you also to Lewis MacDonald for bringing his debate to the Scottish Parliament. And like others, I'd like to congratulate the members of Aberdeen Trade Union Council past and present on reaching their 150th anniversary. When the council was established in 1868, its mission, as we've just heard, was the emancipation of the working classes. It has been mentioned of Disraeli and others, but it strikes me that it's around 20 years after the publication of the Communist Manifesto by Karl Marx, and perhaps some of the language owes something to Marx's work as well. Spanning three centuries, the council has worked continuously to represent workers, to construct the challenge working conditions and practices, and to create the conditions for cultural and societal change. As the years have passed, trade unions, including those that are affiliated to Aberdeen Trade Union Council, have been instrumental in making our workplaces safer, fairer and more democratic. That is a fact that the Scottish Government recognises and is extremely grateful for. Trade unions have and will continue to play a vital role in improving our country's health and safety records. Evidence shows that accident rates are lower where employees feel genuinely they have a say in health and safety matters compared with workplaces where employees do not get involved. As a former shop steward for a number of years, I realised some of the points that were made previously that the role of shop stewards in trade unions now, difficult though it still is, bears no relation to the difficulties that people had to face 150 years ago and genuinely trying to represent the interests of their members, not least in terms of health and safety. While Scotland's health and safety record is now amongst the best in Europe, I am sure that the chamber will agree that one workplace fatality is one too many, and International Workers Memorial Day, which takes place on 28 April, as you have heard, allows us to remember all those who have lost their lives or their livelihoods because of unsafe workplaces or practices. This year, of course, marks the 30th anniversary of the Piper Alpha disaster. The North Sea Oil Platform, which was destroyed by an explosion caused by a gas leak, is a very poignant example that has significantly affected Aberdeen. On 6 July 1988, 165 offshore workers and two seafarers lost their lives. Immediately after the disaster, all workers and union activists campaigned for safety improvements. The offshore industry liaison committee was set up and is now part of the RMT trade union with around 2,500 members. Beyond health and safety, our trade unions must be credited for giving workers an effective voice, supporting equality groups and increasing productivity and innovation in workplaces. For those reasons, the Scottish Government believes that every worker should have the right to have an effective voice in the workplace and to union representation. The impact of trade union representation is evident in the Office of National Statistics, which shows levels of industrial dispute in Scotland between 2007 and 2016, has decreased by 71 per cent. Eleven days per thousand employees were lost due to industrial disputes in Scotland. That compares with 38 when this Government came to power. That reflects, in part, our commitment to effective industrial relations in Scotland. The Scottish Government is committed to protecting and enhancing industrial relations in Scotland, and that is demonstrated through a relationship with the Scottish Trade Union's Congress, whom we see as a social and economic partner. At the opening of the STUC annual congress yesterday, the First Minister announced that we are maintaining funding of more than £2 million a year for Scottish union learning, to promote workplace learning, allowing members to access learning and training opportunities at a time that suits their needs. They are also funding a third year of the trade union fair work and modernisation fund, which seeks to promote better working practices and to offset the burden of the trade union act. In 2018-19, the funding will focus on embedding fair work in sectors where precarious work is prevalent. It is clear that the efforts of the trade union movement in Scotland have contributed to significant progress on a number of fronts, however, challenges remain. The use of exploitative zero hours contracts and the increase in precarious work and the fact that nearly one in five workers in Scotland still are paid below the real living wage, the fact that employment law, including powers over industrial relations, is currently reserved to the UK Government. I hope that all within the chamber this evening will show their appreciation for the Aberdeen trade union council and the wider trade union movement through supporting the devolution of employment law. In the meantime, we have to build on the significant progress that we are making to deliver greater fairness in the workplace. This year, we will work with Scottish Government partners, including the STUC and members of the Parliament, to develop and publish fair work action plan. We also have a statement in relation to the BiFab takeover. I think that there is a direct line between the work that people involved in the Aberdeen trade union's congress were undertaking later part of the 19th century with the partnership that today saw that tremendous outcome. The fairer work action plan will set out how the Scottish Government will utilise all its strategic levers to promote fairer working practices, realise greater inclusive growth. Jackie Baillie quite rightly mentions and proudly mentions the involvement of the Labour Party and the links between the Labour Party and trade unions. I think that it is only fair to say that members of all political parties have played their part within trade unions and tried to affect change to their improvement and to the improvement of the workers that they represent. In June, we will announce our new national performance framework, the measures and targets that we use in assessing how successful we are as a country, and fair work will be adopted as one of our high-level aims. One of the new indicators that we use will be the level of collective bargaining in the economy. That is a significant and progressive development that recognises that collective bargaining is a sign of a healthy and a successful country. The UK Government, on the other hand, is determined to regress industrial relations. The trade union bill, which the Scottish Government opposed and would like to see repealed, is a direct attempt to reduce the influence of trade unions. The Scottish Government and the STUC have worked together to combat the burden placed on public sector employers by the trade union act, which makes a legal requirement to publish information on facility time. Together, we have created a reporting template designed to minimise the reporting burden on the public sector. Crucially, it will set out the value that facility time brings to organisations, including dispute prevention, and improving employee wellbeing. To conclude, I would like to again congratulate the ATUC on the valuable contribution that they have made to industrial relations in Scotland, and, in particular, to improving the standard of living for so many workers and their families in the north-east. Thank you. That concludes the debate, and I close this meeting.