Scottish Labour leader condemns Glasgow fire and rehire bid as 'gross betrayal' weeks before the practice becomes illegal

From the Newshound archive · first published 28 September 2026 · last updated 29 September 2026.

Scottish Labour leader Michael Marra took to the stage at Labour's Liverpool conference to call on delegates to pass an emergency motion censuring Glasgow City Council over its bid to fire and rehire upwards of 23,000 council workers. The council suspended the plan on Friday following a public backlash and an intervention from Deputy First Minister Jenny Gilruth, but Marra argued that a firm conference statement would keep pressure on the SNP. He described the move as a "gross betrayal," pointing out that it came just weeks before fire and rehire is banned under new UK employment legislation due to take effect in January. He further condemned it as a "real signal of the incompetence of the SNP leadership" in Glasgow.

The equal pay dispute underlying the crisis has its roots in the period when Labour itself governed Glasgow City Council, something Marra acknowledged his party must "deal" with.

Marra also conceded that Scottish Labour's May Holyrood performance — its worst since devolution, which left it holding just 17 MSPs — came because voters who recognised the SNP were "crap" still did not see Labour as a credible alternative.

Senior Labour figures went further, with East Renfrewshire MP Blair McDougall accusing the SNP of being "based on dishonesty" and sheltering behind a "mask" of devolutionism they never genuinely believed in.