STUC in pledge over cost of living crisis on eve of congress

With delegates from more than 50 trade unions, union councils and equalities committees set to assemble in Aberdeen tomorrow until Wednesday, less than two weeks before Scotland’s local elections, it is expected that topics for discussion will include the cost of living crisis, the economic strategy for a just transition to net zero, and the recent controversial actions of P&O ferries.

First Minister Nicola Sturgeon, who will address the congress along with Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar, told the Sunday National: “The trade union movement in Scotland has been essential in arguing for and delivering social justice over the last 125 years – and will continue to be vital in the years ahead, especially for our just transition to net zero. As we build a fairer and greener economy, the work of unions will be more important than ever.

READ MORE: Union chief Roz Foyer urges Scottish Labour to drop opposition to indyref2

“During Covid-19, trade unions undertook essential work to promote the health, safety and job security of workers. The Scottish Government cannot properly plan to recover from the pandemic without their support.”

Next week’s congress, commented STUC general secretary Roz Foyer, comes “at a critical juncture for the trade union movement in Scotland”.

“Throughout the country, we have members at the cutting edge of disadvantage, impacted by a cost of living crisis not of their doing and certainly not of their choosing,” Foyer commented.

“Our congress is the national platform to tell the ruling bodies – local, Scottish and UK governments – that our collective fightback against their inaction on this crisis continues without fear or favour.

“A windfall tax targeting those who profited from a pandemic, a cost of living pay rise for Scotland’s public sector workers, reversing the cut to Universal Credit in addition to bringing forward rent freeze and rent cap legislation is the bare minimum we’re demanding. Scotland’s workers deserve nothing less.

Foyer added: “In our 125th year, we’re showing – now more than ever – how critical our movement is in defending, protecting and improving the conditions of our members. With increased affiliations, a diverse and thriving membership, in addition to delegates returning to congress in person since the pandemic, we’re putting decision-makers on notice that our movement won’t be silent in the face of continued inaction.”

Unite Scottish secretary and president of congress Pat Rafferty (below) added that trade unionism “has always had internationalism at its core”, and that the STUC “want to ensure that our greetings of solidarity, friendship and love are sent to the people of the besieged nation of Ukraine”.

Rafferty continued: “A major priority will be to demand changes to employment law in order to deal with corporate greed and illegality, which was taken to a new gutter level by the disgraceful actions of P&O in sacking 800 workers by Zoom.

“However, the congress will rightly be a showcase for the heroism and sacrifice of workers over the last two years. We saw workers in health and social care make a choice to remove themselves from their own families to care for the sick and most vulnerable.

“We have witnessed the power, resolve and humanity of workers during two very difficult years.”

Amongst the motions under consideration by the congress are several from the Transport Salaried Staffs’ Association (TSSA) regarding ScotRail, which was brought into public ownership earlier this month.

TSSA general secretary Manuel Cortes said: “It’s fantastic that Scotrail services are now once again in public ownership – something the TSSA had long campaigned for.

“However, that’s only the first step in undoing the malaise of over two decades of privatisation. Fare rises in this period have outstripped growth in wages making rail fares far more expensive in real terms than they use to be. Just this year we saw ticket prices rise by another 3.8% whilst Scottish wages stagnate. So we call on the Scottish Government to cure this at once by significantly reducing fares across the piece, not just for a few weeks in May, but forever.

“This will have the added benefit of helping passenger numbers recover in the so-called ‘living with Covid’ world, and help Scotland hit its decarbonisation targets. The one thing our Scottish railways and our planet can’t afford is cuts in services and investment.”

Elsewhere, the delegation of the STUC Black Workers’ Conference have made clear their intention to challenge the Nationality and Borders Bill, which they have characterised as “nothing more than a pandering to the far-right”, and expose the “overt racism” behind the UK Government’s proposal to deport asylum seekers to Rwanda, particularly in light of that country’s human rights record in respect to LGBT+ people.

ON constitutional affairs, the Clydebank Trades Union Council has warned that recent UK Government legislation has threatened Scotland’s ability to exercise control over economic and industrial policy, and advocated a joint-campaign with the Wales TUC to safeguard the economic powers of devolved national institutions.

Clydebank TCU secretary Tam Morrison commented: “Under the 1998 Scotland Act, economic and industrial policy were not reserved to Westminster – enabling our parliament, if it so decides, to take action on employment issues, on industrial closures and to ensure local services are run for the benefit of our local communities.

“Now, legislation by the Johnson government seeks to negate these powers. The Subsidy Control Bill will give the Westminster government the final say on any action that disrupts commercial market forces – such as taking a failed firm into public ownership and investing in its recovery. The Internal Market Act and its associated Green Paper on Public Procurement sets out rules that will allow Westminster override attempts by local councils such as North Ayrshire to use its power to purchase services and commodities locally, creating jobs and developing skills.

“This loss of these powers directly affects our communities and the economic rights of trade unionists.”