SNP: Business and employment policies

Find out more about SNP policies on business and employment

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THE BURDEN ON BUSINESS

The SNP believes in tailoring economic policy to suit Scotland's economy, which is smaller and more reliant on manufacturing than the UK as a whole.

It would scrap Labour's climate change levy, which it believes is not appropriate to the Scottish economy.

The party would instead aim to meet environmental targets through measures such as promoting hydroelectricity. The party would boost the proportion of Scottish electricity generated through renewable means to 25% by 2010.

The party sees an improvement in skills training, through initiatives such as an enhanced New Deal programme for getting the unemployed back to work, as a key means of boosting the performance of Scottish companies.

It would also, through a review of Scotland's tax regime, aiming to reduce business levies.

And it would improve the country's transport infrastructure, "the key to Scotland's success, socially and economically", the party's manifesto says.

The party wants to create more jobs in Scotland, and attract more inward investment through transforming the tourist agency into an organisation capable of selling Scotland to the world.

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WORKPLACE RIGHTS

The SNP supports the workplace rights enshrined in the Social Chapter and the human rights act.

It strongly backs the right of workers to form trade unions, which it says play a vital role in society, and through a charter would guarantee the rights of worker representation.

And the party supports the European Union directive enhancing workers' rights to be consulted by firms making large-scale redundancies.

The SNP would also set the minimum wage at half the average (median) salary of working Scottish men.

This calculation would, at current salary levels, raise the minimum wage 16% to £4.36 an hour.

Workers of all ages would be able to claim, giving the under 21s an extra £2,350 a year.

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CONSUMER RIGHTS

The SNP believes that consumers in Scotland are getting a raw deal, from the price of food to the price of cars.

In government the SNP would promote the rights of the consumer and introduce measures to tackle "rip-off Scotland."

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THE NEW ECONOMY

The SNP is committed to providing broadband internet access to all of Scotland.

"We will ensure Scotland does not get by-passed by the digital revolution," the manifesto says.

While the manifesto fails to go into greater detail, the party has previously said it is particularly keen to ensure that rural areas are connected to broadband.

It believes in public spending on internet infrastructure to bolster private sector investment.

The SNP would also invest in international transmission lines for internet access, which currently bypass Scotland, to end the country's dependence on London for its internet connections.