US peace plan on the cards
The US plan to go ahead with their so- called peace plan for the Middle East next month, despite tension in the region.
Sources say Donald Trump aides Jared Kushner and Jason Greenblatt have already begun briefing some allies on the proposals.
But Palestine is unlikely to agree to anything amid anger over the US embassy’s move to Jerusalem.
Trump has been criticised by US allies in Europe and the Persian Gulf and would need to win them over for the plan to succeed.
The US embassy move sparked violent protests in Gaza.
Nearly 60 Palestinians were killed on Monday by Israeli forces, drawing condemnation from Europe and elsewhere.
The controversial f irm told ministers they would look at paying employees £ 8.75 an hour during meetings with them 18 months ago.
The US company have received £5.3million in state handouts but staff at distribution centres in Fife and Inverclyde are still earning wel l below the benchmark championed by the Scottish Government.
Campaigners and politicians have demanded Amazon – owned by the world’s richest man Jeff Bezos – start paying workers the decent wages they deserve.
Scottish Labour leader Richard Leonard said: “Amazon have a terrible record on workers’ rights and fair pay and conditions – we need to see real progress on this, not more hollow promises.
“It’s been well over a year since the SNP Government claimed they were lobbying them on the living wage and nothing appears to have changed.
“The SNP Government should be doing everything they can to ensure fair labour conditions for the people who work for Amazon.
“Instead, ministers have channelled millions of pounds of taxpayer cash to a non- union company with an awful record on workers’ rights and tax avoidance.
“This is our money – we should be laying down the rules.
“That’s why Labour would use the money the Government spend on public contracts and regional selective assistance to drive up standards.”
Keith Brown, cabinet secretary for fair work, met with Amazon in December 2016 in a bid to convince the company to pay the real living wage.
But t he S c o t t i sh Gov e r nment hav e accepted that convincing the firm to pay the rate set by the Living Wage Foundation is still an “ambition”.
A spoke sman sa id : “Scot land punches well above its weight in terms of the proportion of people paid at least the living wage, including the highest proportion of people in theUKtheUK. “Amazon have brought a significant number of jobs to Scotland. “We are in continued dialogue with the firm to ensure these jobs are of good quality and pay rates which are in keeping with our ambition to see the real living