AS ITS annual congress starts in Dundee today, the STUC is launching a plan for the recovery of Scotland’s public services in the face of a colossal rise in outsourcing.

New analysis from the union body estimates up to a 40 per cent increase in outsourcing among Scotland’s local authorities, outstripping both inflation and the amount councils spend on their directly employed workforce, researchers say.

Backed by the STUC general council, today’s motion calls on the Scottish government to commit to a public-sector insourcing plan and bring services back into public control.

A previous report by the STUC found that up to £3 billion was being drained from the public sector, purely for private profit, as a result of outsourcing public services.

The motion further states that the “decline in services has led to the politics of scarcity, allowing far-right agitators to weaponise shortages and spread racially fuelled hatred” with calls made to invest in public services through further progressive taxation measures.

The news comes amid widespread condemnation from unions on the scale of the Scottish government’s Public Service Reform Strategy: think tank IPPR Scotland estimates almost 20,000 public-sector jobs could be culled.

Delegates at congress, which runs till Wednesday, are expecting to hear from SNP leader John Swinney, Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar and co-leader of the Scottish Greens Gillian Mackay.

STUC general secretary Roz Foyer said: “Communities are facing the grotesque scenario of paying more for their public services for reduced quality while £3 billion is siphoned out them in pure profit for private shareholders.

“It’s little wonder apathy and anger is rife throughout working-class areas in Scotland with workers feeling the economy doesn’t work for them. That will only accelerate if politicians press ahead with their reckless, short-sighted public sector reform strategy which could cull 20,000 jobs.

“Every politician from every party, if they want our votes, must hear our demands. Ditch the private-sector drain on the public finances, commit to a strategy of nationalisation and insourcing and provide public services that work for our people — not the profiteers.”