GDP Figures a Wake Up Call for Scottish Political Elite Says GMB

Scotland Scottish economy shrank in the last quarter 2016 and ordinary Scots are suffering

At a recent Scottish Affairs Committee, GMB Scotland predicted the Scottish economy was set to shrink further.

The latest GDP figures confirm the predictions from GMB Scotland and they cannot simply be blamed on Brexit.

The truth is that the Scottish political elite has been indulging itself and has forgotten about the real lives of ordinary Scots.

The new GDP figures must act as awake up call for politicians who are in danger of ‘sleepwalking back to recession’, says GMB Scotland.

The Scottish economy shrank by 0.2% in the last quarter of 2016 – with GDP growing by just 0.4% over the year as a whole.

The Scottish Finance Minister has blamed the slow growth on the impact of the Brexit vote but conveniently ignores the impact of his decisions to cut tens of thousands of local government jobs from poor communities where the simple reality is councils have long been major employers.

GMB Scotland says the concerning new figures show once again how the Scottish economy is on the brink.

The union demands proper industrial and energy strategies – as well as targeted investment – to fight the looming crisis.

Gary Smith, GMB Scottish Secretary, said:

“The news is full of political noise at the moment – but underneath all the words is a harsh, tough reality for the people of Scotland.

“These GDP figures show once again how the economy is struggling; unemployment is up; insecure employment is growing faster here; public sector workers and service users are being hit by huge cuts and those cuts in public services will get worse in the years ahead.

“And our politicians seem to be more interested in pursuing their own pet projects than confronting the problem.

“A real jobs strategy would mean proper investment in the services we need, a balanced energy policy, and a plan to build on the jobs we have.

“These would be good places to start boosting our ailing economy.

“These figures must act as a wake up call to our politicians before they sleepwalk back to recession.”