THE Scottish Parliament returns today after its extended summer recess. A long hot summer which has emphatically proved once again that any rumour of the demise of the trade union movement is wide of the mark. Rail workers, journalists, posties, BT staff, engineers and refuse workers have all withdrawn their labour, taken to the streets — and in so doing, won widespread public support.

Taking industrial action in pursuit of fair pay, job security and in defence of conditions is an entirely rational response to the cost-of-living crisis.

Which makes it all the more irrational and frankly unforgivable for some in the political wing of the trade union movement to opt for a pale neutrality in the face of this. As Robert Tressell presciently wrote, “There is no such thing as being neutral: we must either help or hinder.”