Poverty, especially child poverty, has long been a concern to the ATUC and we have raised this issue at the Scottish Trades Union Congress, winning support for strategies to end child poverty. We remain appalled and the growing numbers of food banks in Scotland and across the UK and that food banks so essential to prevent so many of our citizens from facing hunger in the sixth richest country in the world.
Child poverty in Aberdeen sits at 18% and Aberdeenshire sits at 14% - that is almost one in six of our children in the North East of Scotland who live below the poverty line. Across Scotland it is one in four of our children and 65% of these children live in a household where one or both parents are in work.
That is why the ATUC is supporting Challenge Poverty Week; that is why poverty is a trade union issue. We encourage all our affiliated unions, associated organisations and their members to do the same.
During the week we are joining hundreds of organisations from across Scotland in taking part in Challenge Poverty Week, with faith groups, local authorities, businesses, trade unions and charities all raising our collective voice against poverty. We all want to live in a just and compassionate Scotland, but to achieve this action must be taken to loosen the grip of poverty on people’s lives.
ATUC will be writing to our MPs and MSPs calling on them to act to end poverty in the North East, across Scotland and across the UK.
You can go on the Poverty Alliance website and get the letter templates to add your voice to this call.
The key messages of Challenge Poverty Week are:- Too many people in Scotland are living with the constant pressure of living in poverty.
- As we plan our economic recovery, we must redesign our economy to reflect the values of justice and compassion we all share.
- By boosting people’s incomes and reducing the cost of living we can solve poverty.
We all want to do right by each other. And yet, we live in a society where one in five people live with the constant pressure of living in poverty.
Too many people are struggling to pay bills, put food on the table and take part in society. This is particularly true for women, disabled people and people from black and minority ethnic communities.
As we plan our economic recovery, we must redesign our economy to reflect the values of justice and compassion we all share. By boosting people’s incomes and reducing the cost of living we can end poverty.
Our governments must invest in affordable and accessible public services and ensure that social security benefits provide enough money for people to live a decent life. Employers must offer secure contracts and ensure every worker is paid a real Living Wage. We can all play our part by holding governments to account.
Find out more about Challenge Poverty Week