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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Thus at time when many feel disengaged from the political process - and decision making is top down rather than grassroots up - we know Congress does things differently.

Simply put - we have to do things differently. The status quo and offering from most of Scotland’s political forces speaks more to a staged decline of a nation rather than a renewal of our social contract.  Pay packets do not stretch far enough, public services are under relentless strain and job security feels increasingly fragile. Beyond our borders, millions continue to face the devastation of conflict and instability driven by the warmongering of Trump and Netanyahu.

Clearly, for anyone that’s tried filling up their car at the pumps or noticed the price stickers on the shelves recently, global instability leads to domestic fragility.  Decisions that shape people’s lives are taken far from the places they affect, with little regard for the workers and families left to deal with the consequences.

Take Dundee – take manufacturing. Take Timex and Michelin. Communities that once thrived on skilled industry have, over decades, been hollowed out. The story has become all too familiar: jobs lost, opportunities diminished and a sense that decisions are being made elsewhere, by people with no stake in the outcome other than the pursuit of profit and efficiencies over people.

When good jobs disappear, the impact is felt far beyond the workplace. It affects confidence, cohesion and the sense of possibility for future generations. When opportunity is diminished, hope leaves soon thereafter and that is, in part, why we’re seeing divisive actors in sky blue rosettes making ground.

This is why the demands coming from Congress this year are so important.

First, our movement is demanding a renewed focus on high-quality jobs. Not precarious work, not low-paid or insecure roles, but employment that offers dignity, fair pay and a future. That means investing in skills, supporting domestic industries and ensuring that the transition to a greener economy supports workers, creates opportunities in the here and now and prevents our labour force seeking broader horizons elsewhere. 

Second, we must properly fund our public services - our NHS, our schools, our local councils. They are the backbone of a fair society and, for too long, have survived by their skin of their teeth. Being asked to do more with less, year after year is an unsustainable road to ruin. Investment in public services is exactly that – investment. Not a drain on the public purse, nor a cost worth cutting, as some of the manifestos from last week would have you believe.

Third, Scotland needs a serious, coherent industrial strategy. For too long, economic development has been left to the whims of the market, with government stepping in only after the fact. We need a different approach: one that is proactive, strategic and rooted in the interests of workers and communities. That means using public investment to shape outcomes, building strong supply chains and ensuring that key sectors deliver wholesale benefits not piecemeal profits for shareholders.

These are demands borne and brought forward by people across our workplaces – from industrial sites to building sites.

History shows that when trade unions lead, change follows. Many of the gains we have today - from minimum wages to safer workplaces, from public services to protections for marginalised communities - were not handed down from above. They were fought for, organised for and won through collective action.

That is the spirit we take into Tayside.

As the electoral pitches reach fever pitch, with Anas Sarwar, John Swinney and Gillian Mackay all appearing before delegates this week, there will be no shortage of promises. But working-class people have heard promises before. What we need now is delivery - policies that match the scale of the challenges we face and the courage to see them through.

Scotland can choose a different path. One where economic success is measured in the quality of jobs, the strength of communities and the effective voice of workers in the decision-making process. One where public services are valued and supported. One where industry is built for the long term, with workers at its heart.

And crucially, one where democracy does not stop at the ballot box but is embedded in our workplaces and our economy.

That’s the message we will take into this week and it’s the one, if they’re listening of course, the politicians will hear loud and clear.

Roz Foyer is general secretary of the STUC

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