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STUC Statement: United We Stand

We stand in solidarity with communities across the UK who have been subjected to violence and intimidation orchestrated by far-right groups.

We have witnessed appalling scenes of racist rioters targeting Muslim, black and minority ethnic communities, spreading fear and mayhem. The deliberate assault and arson of hotels accommodating asylum seekers is nothing short of barbaric. These hateful events must be condemned as Islamophobic and racist by politicians of all parties and the media. 

We offer our condolences and support to all those tragically impacted by the events in Southport that resulted in the murder of three children, Bebe King, Elsie Dot Stancombe, and Alice Dasilva Aguiar.

We are appalled that these events have been weaponised by far-right individuals and groups to incite riots and violence on our streets. They show contempt and absolute disregard for the families and communities impacted. 

We are heartened to see people across towns and cities in England and Northern Ireland come together to clean up streets, offer their services and support, their solidarity, kindness and humanity.

We have long warned that the far-right poses a dangerous threat in the UK. Spreading racist hate amongst communities that are often marginalised and under resourced. The cruel impacts of austerity are shared across working-class communities, however the brutality of structural racism is faced only byblack and minority ethnic communities. This has been compounded by the drip feed of anti-migrant rhetoric from parts of the media, politicians and echoed across social media channels.

We will not stand back and allow the far-right to attempt to divide us. We will not be silent. We will not cower. Trade unions have a long history of defending our communities against fascists and racists. That work continues today.

It is our duty to step up. We must be anti-racist in our actions. We must reach out to local mosques, encourage others to do so also, to offer support to asylum seekers and refugee organisations, to educate ourselves about racism, fascism and Britain’s colonial past and to build unity and to demonstrate against the far-right.

The trade union movement in Scotland stands ready. We call on you to stand with us. 

General Secretary’s newspaper columns

Scotland’s Budget must deliver for workers, says STUC chief The Herald, 2nd December

Save Grangemouth project is vital to turn tide on 50 years of failure The Herald, 25th November

Trump is back and the far right is too The Herald, 18 November

We cannot sit back and allow Palestine to die, says STUC chief The Herald, 11 November

Unpicking what the Budget means for workers The Herald, 4th November

John Swinney was right - and Labour must listen, says STUC chief The Herald, 28th October

So many broken promises: why we’ve walked away from care service bill The Herald, 22nd October

We can’t always get what we want. But we can try hard to do so The Herald, 14th October

Good news on tips for workers The Herald, 7th October

Sir Keir needs to invest - not force through endless cuts The Herald, 30th September

We must remember the lessons of the Auchengeich disaster The Herald, 23rd September

Global corporations are destroying Scottish jobs - we must stop them The Herald, 16th September

Want to let Glasgow flourish? Help its children The Herald, 9th September

Scotland’s culture cannot be for rich people only The Herald, 26th August

The deeper issues that both our governments need to address The Herald, 19th August

Far-right hate mob exploited tragedy for their own ends The Herald, 12th August

Public services denigration and nefarious far-right risks The Herald, 5th August

Workers could do with a retirement like Joe Biden will have The Herald, 19th July

Pomp. Pageantry. Performance. Politics. The Herald, 22nd July

The kids are alright and we should listen to them The Herald, 15th July

Labour must tear up anti-union legislation, says STUC chief The Herald, 8th July

Politicans should hedge their bets on the workers The Herald, 1st July

Grangemouth is first test of Labour’s commitment to a just transition The Herald, 24th June

Politicians talk the talk but they don’t walk the walk over education The Herald, 17th June

Media must step up to the plate amid the rise of the far right The National, 15th June

Green Industrial Strategy could create tens of thousands of jobs The Herald, 27th May

Failure to devolve power casts a shadow over Holyrood The Herald, 20th May

Trade unions will work with FM to help end policy failure The National, 18th May

Workers have had enough of nice ideas from the SNP The Herald, 13th May

Scottish and UK governments must not let Grangemouth refinery die The Herald, 6th May

I predict new era of cooperation between Labour and SNP The Herald, 22nd April

Scotland’s support for Palestinians IS making a difference The National, 20th April

Strike action works and we make no apologies for it The Herald, 15th April

Sunak’s Freeports are called Greenports here but there’s no difference The Herald, 8th April

Mandelson has pushed Labour to ‘soften’ New Deal for Working People The Herald, 1st April

Miners’ strike taught us justice is not achieved through asking nicely The Herald, 18th March

Anas Sarwar’s Scottish Labour plans tax cuts for middle earners The Herald, 26th February

Highland workers need action, not more rhetoric The Herald, 2nd February

Grangemouth Refinery closure must be halted The Herald, 24th November

King’s Speech proved how badly we need an election The National 15th November

We march against fascism. Would Braverman want to ban us too? Herald 14th November

We should be furious that workers were thrown to wolves during Covid The National 27th October

SNP Can’t blame Labour deluge on the weather The National 14th October

Why we must fight for the future of further education Herald 13th October

The attack on Unison’s Johanna Baxter is nonsense - here’s why The National 29th September

Labour must commit to the devolution of employment law Herald 29th September

Why we must have a wholesale revolution on social care Herald 12th September

Roz Foyer: First Minister says he ‘isn’t afraid to pick a side’ – so do it The National 9th September

It’s time to pay women fairly. Let the bosses pay the bill The National 1st September

Politicians beware: the people are not prepared to lie down any longer Herald 18th August

Strikes in Scotland seem endless? Well the workers are fed up too The National 12th August

It’s time we took back control of our buses The National 4th August

Two-child benefit cap: Dismay over lack of vision from Labour Herald 21st July

When it comes to care, we must put people before profit Herald 12th July 2023

What can we say about Humza Yousaf’s record after 100 days in the job? The National 8th July 2023

Profiteering is driving up costs and they want you to take the blame. Herald 5th July 2023

We have a real chance to deliver fairness for workers. Let’s take it. Herald 10th June 2023

Never forget Pride is a protest as well as a celebration The National 10th June 2023

The Yes campaign may have stalled but people still want change Herald 6th June 2023

Forget the coronation, profit is king in the UK The National 13th May 2023

The First Minister must stay firm on free school meals Herald 8th May 2023

What are the politicians going to do to rescue our democracy? Herald 13th April 2023

First Minister Humza Yousaf must work with trade unions to succeed The National 8th April 2023

Next first minister must show same respect to unions The National 21st March

Government has turbocharged our resolve on workers’ rights The National 31st January

 

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