Tackling Inequalities

That the Parliament agrees that a strong, sustainable economy is essential to building a fair and wealthy society; further agrees that a society that is fair and equitable underpins a strong economy; believes that an essential element of this is that work should be a route out of poverty; deplores the fact that half of children in poverty are growing up in a household where at least one person is in employment; further believes that this is a clear sign that the economic and social policies of the UK Government are failing Scotland; notes the commitment of the Scottish Government to build a fairer Scotland and tackle inequality; welcomes the positive steps that the Scottish Government has taken toward this by paying the living wage as part of its pay policy and, by supporting living wage accreditation, encouraging more organisations to do the same; further welcomes the development of the Fair Work Convention to promote and sustain a fair employment framework, and is concerned that these efforts are at risk of being undermined by the £6 billion of welfare cuts being made by the UK Government.