#STUC25 Congress, held in Dundee from 28-30 April and chaired by UNISON's Lilian Macer fairly bowled along as speaking times were cut from the outset to 4 minutes for movers and 2 minutes for everyone else. The theme was Building on the New Deal for Workers with a focus on workers' rights and workers in struggle.
In her President's speech, Lilian condemned the UK Labour Government for their cuts to public services and their lurch to the right and demanded proper funding for public services in Scotland. “They are essential to the very fabric of our society and we to see significant investment to support our most vulnerable”.
The Monday of Congress was International Workers Memorial Day and she slammed the murders of the health workers by Israeli forces and pledged to continue to fight for the living.
At lunchtime a moving service was held outside the Caird Hall with speeches from a number of union representatives, who also laid wreaths.
Congress heard from both First Minister, John Swinney and Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar. They highlighted all the concerns including a loss of industrial base in Scotland, the politics of division and rise of Reform and the far right, and the failure of our current political system to engage workers but themselves failed to offer any compelling answers and just trotted out more of the same - each defending the failings in the other's parties.
A highlight of Congress was an excellent panel session on the crisis in social care with three young trade union activists working in the sector, from UNISON, Unite and GMB.
Their clear message - Scottish government should put its money where its mouth is, recognise social care is on its knees and properly fund the sector for the benefit of the workers and those who need care services.
There was also a demonstration on Tuesday lunchtime in support of workers at Dundee University, facing severe funding issues, redundancies etc.
Aberdeen Trades Union Council was represented at Congress by Kate Ramsden (delegation leader), Steve Gray and Jonathan Christie. All three of our motions were composited with others initially, although after much negotiation and discussion, our Palestine motion was debated on its own with six other motions on Palestine. All were approved and are now STUC policy. Our two amendments were accepted by the movers of the motions and approved by Congress.
Reports of ATUC delegates involvement is below.
Bring back the Winter fuel payment for ALL pensioners: Steve Gray tells Congress that the removal of the Winter fuel allowance is another demonstration that the poorest people in society are having funds removed that could help them, whist funds to the super rich are increased
Defending the right to protest: Jonathan Christie demands that the police should arrest war criminals not protesters.
Congress backs St Fitticks Park: Steve Gray tells Congress the "Save St Fitticks Park" campaign is “a story of greed power and corruption set against community solidarity, love and hope."
Standing on the side of humanity - supporting Palestine: Kate Ramsden tells delegates that we stand in the side of humanity and utterly condemn Israel’s massacres of children, women and men in Gaza, the targeting of health workers, aid workers and journalists, and now the withholding of essential aid.
