As members of the Communication Workers Union (CWU), we campaigned tirelessly for a Labour government that pledged real change. After over a decade of Conservative rule, which left working-class communities across the UK struggling under harsh policies, Labour’s promise of victory offered hope—hope of dignity, fairness, and meaningful improvements in the lives of our members and all working class people.
Yet, eight months after that historic election win, as the Labour Prime Minister prepares to visit the Scottish Labour Conference for the first time in 15 years, our members in Scotland are not just disappointed—they are furious. Seven months in, the transformative change many fought for remains elusive. While the Conservatives are gone, what has truly changed for voters?
For many, things have worsened. Recent polling shows deep disillusionment with Scottish Labour at risk of falling to third place in the coming Holyrood election. This failure is starkly illustrated by cuts to universal winter fuel payments, disproportionately hitting vulnerable pensioners facing cold homes and rising energy costs. Despite opposition from the Scottish Labour Leader, the policy was pushed through, betraying those Labour promised to protect.
Equally troubling is retaining the two-child limit on welfare, a cruel policy that deliberately makes families poorer. At a time when Scotland needs to support growing families, this regressive measure deepens inequality and drives up child poverty. Similarly, the failure to address the injustice faced by WASPI women—denied their rightful pensions—is a broken promise perpetuating hardship for a generation.
Morally, these decisions are bad enough, but electorally, they could prove fatal for Labour’s chances at the May 2026 election. An estimated 336,000 WASPI women live in Scotland – each will have a vote next year. To put that figure in perspective, that’s 69 per cent of Scottish Labour’s entire regional list vote at the last election – which delivered most of the party’s MSPs. The potential anger from WASPI women alone, never mind their friends, family members and the pensioners who have been robbed of their winter fuel allowance, could prove deadly for the group of 22 currently in Holyrood.
This week’s Scottish Labour Conference is a critical chance for the Scottish Labour Party to reset and put clear red water between it and the Starmer Government. The CWU demands a bold agenda: a wealth tax on fixed assets to fund public services; an end to welfare austerity by scrapping the two-child limit; and devolution of employment law to Scotland, ensuring stronger workers’ rights. These are not just aspirations—they are moral imperatives.
Scottish Labour must break from the Tory economic status quo. The time for half-measures is over. To rebuild trust, it must offer a genuine alternative to SNP mismanagement and Tory austerity.
Working people have waited long enough. We need a Labour government that delivers—not just in words, but in action. The stakes could not be higher. It’s time for Scottish Labour to rise to the occasion and lead the fight for a fairer, more prosperous Scotland.
Craig Anderson is CWU Scottish Secretary
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