Defence spending is contentious for trade unionists. But what should be agreed is that workers and firms here in Scotland should be the direct beneficiaries of a coherent industrial strategy, says STUC leader and Herald columnist Roz Foyer.

While the person in charge at the Scotland Office may have changed, the underlying challenges and opportunities facing working people remain the same.

If the UK Government’s recently announced Industrial Strategy is to succeed, then the eyes of everyone at Queen Elizabeth House must be firmly on the prize: creating secure, well-paid, unionised jobs, strengthening our industrial base and building a fairer economy.

In reality, that means setting party interests aside in favour of what truly matters: delivering good jobs, investing in our communities and lifting families out of poverty. Westminster and Holyrood must work together with industry and trade unions to deliver a coherent, joined-up approach to industrial growth.

Read more:

That can come from the UK Government’s new Defence Industrial Strategy, which can represent a real opportunity for Scotland.

There is a debate within our own movement – a debate I witnessed last week at the TUC Congress in Brighton - on what constitutes a proper level of defence spending. However, regardless of how much or how little governments dedicate to the policy, it shouldn’t be uncontroversial to say that workers and their communities here in Scotland should be the first in line to receive any stipend.

As such, the........

© Herald Scotland