COLLECTIVE bargaining is “not just a trade union objective but a national objective” in Scotland, Nicola Sturgeon said today.

Addressing delegates on the last day of the Scottish TUC’s annual congress, the First Minister slated the Tory “anti-Trade Union Bill.”

The Scottish government has previously committed to promoting collective bargaining through the inclusion of a measure within the national performance framework.

But critics argue that requirements are only voluntary, and not sufficiently enforced through public procurement processes.

Addressing the congress, Ms Sturgeon reasserted this commitment and the government’s intention to work with the STUC in order to deliver it.

“Fair work is good for workers, good for wider society and good for the businesses which promote it,” she said.

Elsewhere in her address, Ms Sturgeon emphasised the need to create jobs as part of a transition to a carbon-neutral economy.

She also paid tribute to the 2018 Glasgow women’s strike in which majority-female council workers took action in pursuit of equal pay. 

“They exemplify the fact that if you organise against injustice then you can win,” she said. 

Turning to Brexit, Ms Sturgeon reaffirmed her support for a second referendum and said her hope was that all of Britain would vote to remain in such a vote. 

She condemned Theresa May’s hostile environment and “the xenophobia that is too prevalent in political discourse,” stating: “We stand firm and united against the rise of the far right.”

And while Ms Sturgeon made no mention of independence during her address, she told press beforehand that unlike with Brexit “there will be nothing disorderly about Scottish independence when it happens.”