This week Scotland’s trade union movement will gather in Dundee for the STUC annual Congress - the largest democratic assembly of trade unionists anywhere in the country.

There tends to be a rhythmic hum and flow to democratic conferences. Speeches, motions, debates, events, catch ups and conversations.

But this isn’t a party conference; Congress has always been about more than speeches and motions. It is where the experiences of workers across Scotland are brought into one place; where demands are sharpened and solidarity renewed. What I believe makes Congress distinctive is not just the issues it addresses, but the way in which it operates. Delegates come to Dundee, elected by their members, accountable to their workplaces and committed to collective decision-making.

Now, of course, it’s hardly straightforward – debates and disagreements are both challenging and welcome. On occasion, votes are on such a knife edge you don’t know which way it will go until the vote is counted. That matters to folk, least of all delegates. On the vast majority of issues, trades unionists will, naturally, be aligned – on wages, on services, on spending. But our diversity is our strength. Our raison d'être is to education, agitate and organise workers – it would be a disservice to our democratic caucus to not have challenging discussions and inclusive debate that enhances those outcomes.

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