Scots with long covid could be eligible for employment injuries benefit under Labour plan

Scots suffering from long covid as a result of their job could be entitled to a new workplace injuries benefit under plans backed by a Labour MSP.Mark Griffin is promoting legislation which could lead to the establishment of a Scottish Employment Injuries Advisory Council (SEIAC).If passed by MSPs, the new body would work with Social Security Scotland to help design and deliver enhanced protections for workers injured at work through no fault of their own.Responsibility for employment injury benefit has been devolved to Scotland but the powers have yet to be used by SNP ministers.Griffin, a Central Scotland MSP, is calling for a council to be set up to advise on the new benefit and put the voices of workers and trade unions at the heart of Scotland’s approach.The advisory body would also have powers to conduct research into long-term illness in modern workplaces and improve work safety.Griffin told the Record: "Each week I hear from workers who want support from our Scottish benefit system because the outdated Westminster benefit ignores them and their illness they caught at work."Keyworkers with long-covid, careworkers wrestling with back and joint problems, firefighters more likely to get cancer from toxic contaminants, and women workers who are outright ignored by the Westminster benefit."They all want answers about how Scotland’s new industrial injuries benefit can help them."But this work can only start when workers and trade unions have a permanent, powerful voice at the heart of the benefit, from the start."Trade unionists from across Scotland, along with the STUC, have backed my bill to create a new expert council that would provide a voice for Scots workers affected by workplace injuries and diseases."Setting up