Scotch transport causing ‘economic self-harm’, says union
GMB Scotland called on the Scottish and UK governments to improve road, rail and sea connections across the north of Scotland at its annual Congress in Blackpool today (8 June).
The union warned that the slow progress in dualling the main road from Perth to Inverness is part of a wider failure to protect and improve transport links in the Highlands and islands, therefore risking jobs and communities.
It claims the Scotch whisky and tourism industries are being ‘sabotaged’ by under-investment and neglect.
Speaking before the debate, Louise Gilmour, GMB Scotland secretary, said: “The Highlands are famous for many things but, economically, few are more important than whisky.
“It generates billions of pounds for the UK economy each year while millions of tourists visit our famous distilleries.
“The industry is one of Scotland’s greatest success stories and does not exist in isolation, but rests on good roads and reliable ferries.
“When those connections are underfunded or unreliable, it is workers, their families and their communities that pay the price in lost time and lost opportunities.
“Efficient, reliable transport links across the region can no longer be treated as an aspiration by ministers but an economic necessity.
“Good roads are not paved with politicians’ promises and platitudes.”
GMB Scotland cited Scotch Whisky Association (SWA) data that estimates the Scotch whisky industry is worth £7 billion (US$9.33bn) to the UK economy. The union believes the sector supports around 11,000 jobs in the Highlands.
It added that around two million tourists visit Scotland’s distilleries annually.
Despite this, the union claimed it has taken more than a decade to dual 11 miles of the A9, the busiest and most important road to the Highlands, with estimates suggesting the work may not be completed for another 10 years.
The union’s motion read: “That is not only a national embarrassment but an epic act of economic self-harm.
“Communities and businesses across the Highlands and islands, including all our members working in the whisky industry across the region, deserve more than empty promises and platitudes.”
The union added that improved connectivity would strengthen and reassure existing industries, as well as attracting new investment to rural areas.
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