NHS, CARE SECTOR AND HOSPITALITY WILL BEAR THE BRUNT OF NEW BARRIERS
Rona Mackay, SNP MSP for Strathkelvin and Bearsden, has said Tory plans to curb migration will be “disastrous” for businesses and public services, particularly our NHS and care sector.
This week, the Tory government at Westminster announced stricter regulations on people from outside the UK coming to work in Scotland - including a minimum salary requirement of £38,700, and a ban on care workers bringing family to the country.
Ms Mackay said that these policies will be a disaster for NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde, the local care sector and local businesses who have already been hammered by the Tories' cost-of-living crisis and broken Brexit.
The MSP added that these new measures from the Tory UK government are a stark contrast to the SNP Scottish Government’s vision for an inclusive and fair migration policy, that understands the importance of migration in safeguarding the future of Scotland’s public services, strengthening our economy, and enriching our culture.
Ms Mackay said: “Scotland has an aging population, and our coveted public services rely on sustaining a strong, skilled workforce if we are to continue to provide the same levels of excellent service – we need to be encouraging more people to move to Scotland, not putting up barriers in their way.
“These newly announced measures from the Tory government are as provincial as they are dangerous and will be sure to store up serious problems down the line for our NHS and my constituency’s hospitality industries.
“In contrast, the SNP Scottish Government has been clear in its open position on immigration, as outlined in their Building a New Scotland Paper, which stress the vital importance of a humane and principled migration policy after independence – which is incomparable with the hostile environment of this Tory Britain.
“Only with independence can Scotland continue to attract workers from overseas with a welcoming and forward-thinking immigration policy that ensures the local area’s public services and economy stay strong for generations to come.”