Scotland’s most senior trade union leader has warned First Minister Humza Yousaf to ditch the slogans and make changes to the lives of ordinary working people.
STUC general secretary Roz Foyer said people are no longer fooled by politicians and have to see improvements right now or parties risk losing support at the ballot box.
In a direct message to Yousaf, she said: “The veil has slipped from workers’ eyes now. Another catchphrase isn’t going to cut it.
“They told us there was no money and when we took action, got organised and used our collective power to demand better, we got better.
“Things have changed and we need deeds, not words from our new First Minister.”
In an exclusive interview with the Sunday Mail, ahead of the STUC annual conference this week. Foyer said Yousaf must stick to his promises made during the leadership contest on issues including free school meals, taxation and childcare and demanded he make progress quickly as workers struggle to pay their bills.
She said: “So far we like what we’re hearing from the First Minister. He’s saying all the right things about taxing the rich, redistributing wealth and working with trade unions.
“But in the first 100 days we need to see a real commitment. I fully believe that if we don’t see a real difference being made on the ground then ordinary working people are going to start to make their views felt through the ballot box going forward.
“This is a key moment for the new Scottish Government, they’ve got to start acting. We’ve had lots of talk about Just Transitions, the Fair Work Agenda, the Wellbeing Economy. All of these things sound great but now we need to have the hard conversations because at the end of the day, if you’re going to redistribute wealth and make things fairer, the rich have to pay.”
Foyer said the current chaos within the SNP, the arrest and later release of Peter Murrell and a police probe into the party’s finances has put the new First Minister in one of the most difficult positions any country leader would have to face but said it is vital to restore trust in politics or risk dire consequences.
She said: “The revolving door at Downing Street, the turbulence that’s taking place in Scotland and inside the SNP are not helping ordinary people have faith in the political system.
“At a time when recession is high, that is a very dangerous place for any society to be because we’re seeing activity across the far right and that can lead to people turning away from democratic political systems and really feeling failed by mainstream politics.
“As trade unionists we have an absolute duty to make sure that the politicians wake up and realise that now is a more crucial time than ever to show some real delivery for people on the ground.”
The theme of the STUC’s annual conference in Dundee is Scotland’s Workers Demanding Better and will see key figures from across the political and trade union spectrum gather to share ideas and debate how best to defend workers’ rights and improve their pay and conditions.
RMT General Secretary Mick Lynch and Labour deputy leader Angela Rayner are among those scheduled to speak alongside Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar and Yousaf.
Foyer said the trade union movement has become so reinvigorated in the past year that union leaders like Lynch have almost become celebrities in their own right.
Foyer said: “There’s been a reawakening for ordinary working people. People can see that we do have power, we have collective power, and we can deliver change.”
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