SCVO Gathering hears that Tory immigration plan poses an "existential threat" to Scotland
UK government immigration policies have been savaged as being both “offensive and disastrous”.
First Minister Nicola Sturgeon laid into new Westminster rules which would see a points-based system introduced.
Hardline home secretary Priti Patel has said it would mean immigrants must be assured of earning at least £26.600 once they get to the UK.
However, Sturgeon told the Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations’ (SCVO) Gathering event that this would wreak devastation on Scotland’s economy.
Launching the two day event at Glasgow’s SEC today, the first minister was asked about immigration.
She responded: “I will try to stay calm when I talk about this even though I struggle. The proposals published this morning are both offensive in principle and absolutely disastrous in practice.
“They are offensive for a couple of really good reasons – they are based on the completely erroneous notion that inward migration drives down wages and working conditions. That is completely and utterly wrong – migrants make a positive net contribution to our economy and our society. It is inadequate workplace protections that drive down conditions, not migrants
“The second reason it is offensive is because when you talk about unskilled workers, who are you talking about? It is care workers, hospitality workers, agricultural workers – the backbone of our economy, people who come to this country to make a contribution. They pay us a compliment, they help to make the country what it is and we should be encouraging them, not putting them off and slamming the door in their face.”
She said that based on Scotland’s demographics, with a declining birth rate, an ageing population and a shrinking tax base, the Home Office moves are “existentially disastrous for Scotland.”
Sturgeon said: “It is the biggest threat to Scotland’s medium and long term prosperity that there is. We need to get the power to determine who comes into our country out of the hands of the likes of Boris Johnson and into our own parliament as soon as possible.”
Scottish Care, which represents more than 400 care organisations around the country, said the sector is dependent on the “tremendous skills and contribution” of migrant workers and the new proposals do little to address their “significant concerns”.
Dr Donald Macaskill, Scottish Care chief executive, said: “Yet again we have a set of proposals which treat the critical role of frontline care as unskilled. This is offensive and these proposals are damaging. To presume anyone can simply do the job of compassionate and dignified care is deluded.
“The salary thresholds, the language and qualification requirements are wholly unrealistic and simply don’t speak to the reality of social care.”
Home secretary Patel said the government wanted to "encourage people with the right talent" and "reduce the levels of people coming to the UK with low skills" and suggested workers could be recruited from people in the UK who are “economically inactive”.
