CONGRESS has backed the STUC general council’s call for the next Scottish government to raise taxes to end austerity in public services.

The composite, passed today, called for essential services to be “fully funded”  and demanded “the removal of opportunities for chief executives and corporations to exploit our public services for profit” by ending outsourcing and drawing up a public sector outsourcing plan.

Aberdeen TUC delegate Kate Ramsden told Congress: “There’s been a failure, and not for the first time, of joined-up thinking by this Scottish government.

“They failed to understand that cuts, especially to hard-hit council services, directly affect the important preventative role to mitigate child poverty, reduce health inequalities and prevent crime.

“Public services have also been vulnerable to outsourcing and privatisation. I feel like I’ve spent my entire political life fighting this since Margaret Thatcher set us off on this trajectory.

“It’s been an ongoing strategy that affects the working class the most. It puts money in the pockets of the richest and completely undermines our public services.

“It’s capitalism writ large.”

The composite passed unanimously.