Trade unions need to step up and force a turn in the policies of the labour movement to effectively confront the far-right threat, argues NICK WRIGHT
THE THEME of the 2021 Scottish Trade Union Congress was once again based on its People’s Recovery manifesto. The focus was on carrying forward its three stages: Immediate — response to the crisis; Action — the People’s Recovery; Vision — a Scotland Fit for the Future.
Scotland’s trade unionists have come through a grim winter with the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic hitting working-class people the hardest.
We have seen the premature deaths of the elderly, especially in care, the economic disaster inflicted on our youth with precarious work or indeed no work and employers exploiting the situation to fire and rehire — or just fire.
ANN HENDERSON looks at the centenary of the foundation of the STUC women’s committee, and the challenges facing women in the trade unions today
Unless ministers match reform with investment, the profession and the people it serves will continue to bear the cost, says KATE RAMSDEN
Working-class women lead the fight for fair work and equitable pay and against sexual harassment, the rise of the far right and years of failed austerity policies, writes ROZ FOYER



