Putting working people first

When Graeme Morrice says he has “pursued an agenda of putting working people first” since being elected to Parliament in 2010 you know he’s not joking.

The Livingston MP is an active supporter of  issues close to the heart of trade unionism. A lifelong Unite member, he introduced a Protection of Workers Bill in Parliament.

“Although it was unsuccessful” he says, “it still highlighted the growing problem of violence faced by workers serving the public.”

He has also been involved in inquiries into what he has no hesitation in calling “the exploitative nature of zero hours contracts and the scandal of blacklisting in employment.”

Public service is bred in the bone for Morrice – who grew up in the local area and went on to lead West Lothian Council for more than a decade.

“I am a firm supporter of protecting and enhancing trade union rights, increasing the minimum wage and promoting the living wage” he says.

He’s also frank enough to admit he expects a “tight-fought contest” to hold onto his seat, but says that If re-elected  he “will continue to work with the unions in promoting the best interests of working people.”

When asked about issues he sees as key in this seat – which has boundaries stretching from the western outskirts of Edinburgh to the edge of the former industrial heartlands of Strathclyde – Morrice prefers to look at the bigger picture.

“Our situation is no different to the rest of Scotland and the rest of the UK” he says, “people feel that over the last number of years they have been let down by the current government and are often struggling to make ends meet.

“Labour is the only party that can replace the Tories in government. We need a government and a Prime Minister that is going to get on with the job and get the country back on track”.

By that he means re-distributing wealth “from the top to those with the least in society and bring about fairness, justice and equality in society.”