Grahame Smith, Scottish Trades Union Congress (STUC) General Secretary said:
“There will be a modicum of relief that the Scottish Government has been allowed to put off implementing its share of cuts until next year, but as everyone recognises, this is pain deferred not pain removed”
And he reacted angrily to announcements of cuts in the Future Jobs Fund.
“This will feel like a declaration of war against the young and unemployed in Scotland. While no employment scheme is perfect, the Future Jobs Fund (FJF) is certainly one of the best, offering unemployed people, mainly the young, the chance of a real job with a training element, paid to at least the minimum wage.
“Unlike low cost workfare schemes, the FJF represents a real launch pad into permanent employment, a genuine training element and, perhaps most important of all, dignity for young people. It is to the coalition government’s shame that one its first acts is to axe it.”
ENDS
For further comment contact Dave Moxham 0141 337 8100