THE Scottish Trades Union Congress (STUC) has backed calls for “practical” solutions to tackle the rise of the far-right, warning the UK and Scottish governments that they are not “off the hook”.
The STUC annual congress kicked off in Dundee on Monday, with the first issue members debated being the rise in support for the far-right – just days after First Minister John Swinney chaired an anti-far right summit in Glasgow.
The STUC is the largest trade union body in Scotland, representing more than 500,000 workers.
The “Countering the Far Right” motion, proposed by the STUC general council and backed by several different unions and working groups, highlighted failures from “political”, “media” and “super-rich” figures who have used “misinformation and fake news to further polarise politics”.
Submitting the motion, Andrea Bradley, STUC general council member and general secretary of the Educational Institute of Scotland (EIS), said: “Over the last year we’ve witnessed a broad political shift to the right at home and abroad.
“We’re now hearing debates that we thought were over, and we’ve watched laws and policies passed that would have been unthinkable not so long ago.
“It’s the failure of parts of the media to challenge bigoted and racist narratives, and fundamentally it’s the result of the super-rich drive for more personal wealth to amass, to hoard and to count.
“With public services rationed, the money in our pockets worth less, and the outlook for our kids looking bleak, no wonder people are disheartened, disillusioned and angry.”
Bradley said governments both locally and nationally had “failed to address concerns”, which the “populist right has been quick to seize upon, preying on people’s insecurities and fears and whipping up anger and blame”.
The EIS chief also spoke on the rise of Reform UK, pointing out that the issue was “complex” and people are “desperately looking for an alternative after decades of political failure”.
Bradley continued: “While Nigel Farage is a fraudster and an enemy of workers’ rights, who’s willing to use every racist slur and stereotype there is to win power, it would be wrong to condemn people thinking of voting Reform as racist.
“The picture is far more complex than that. People are desperately looking for an alternative after decades of political failure that they live the consequences of.”
Bradley stressed the need for real action on tackling the far right, “not just words”, adding that the STUC would continue to put pressure on both the UK and Scottish Governments to offer “practical” solutions.
She said: “We need to take practical actions to address this challenge. We need to offer solutions that build unity, to spell out solutions to economic challenges, to change the narrative and point the figure at the super-rich, to educate, not ostracise, and to make the case for democracy by showing its power in the workplace.
“In good faith, the STUC has engaged in the summit to tackle the far-right, but this Scottish Government summit can’t just be a talking shop.
“We won’t let wither the UK or the Scottish Government off the hook. We will resolutely not let them use this debate to hide their own failings.
“If they’re serious about protecting democracy and social cohesion, they need to show it by actual deeds, not just words.”
The motion was supported by the STUC’s Black, LGBT+ and disabled workers' committees, as well as the PCS, EIS, NASUWT trade unions and several local trade union groups.
Last Wednesday, the First Minister chaired a summit aimed at tackling the rise of the far-right.
Among those who attended was STUC general secretary Roz Foyer, who stressed that although the summit was "welcome", it "must be a process, not a photo-op".
After the summit, the First Minister said: “This has been a discussion which I would characterise as the start of a process.
“We have had a very respectful, candid, open, and challenging discussion about the issues that I wanted to draw people together to address.”
Swinney is set to address the STUC annual congress on Monday afternoon, where he is expected to call on the UK Government to fully support Scottish industry.
