THE cost-of-living crisis is hard upon us. As we gather in person for the first time in two years, weary from the pandemic but glad to be face to face again, there is little time to celebrate as all the pious talk about “building back better,” becoming a more caring society and valuing the work and contribution of all to our sense of community, lies crushed beneath the weight of economic devastation being heaped upon working people.

Although the poorest being asked to bear the brunt is not a new narrative, what should make us even angrier, is the sight of the entitled antics of the ministerial miscreants and their cronies (some of whom did very nicely out of the global pandemic) continuing to behave without conscience, morals or principle.

They deserve our complete and utter disdain. But more than that, they deserve to feel the full brunt of our collective anger and strength.

During the pandemic, workers turned to trade unions to keep them as safe and protected as possible — and we responded at every level.

The critical function of our health and safety demands has never been so needed and Composite L sets out the continuing need for vigilance in this area.

We also need to focus our campaigning capacity, however, on to the issue of pay and living standards.

RPI has risen to 9 per cent over the past 12 months. To that can be added the impact of National Insurance costs and within the inflation figure lie the very real specifics of power bills, food inflation and benefit cuts — it’s not about affording luxuries; it’s about basic living costs.

Composite N states that data from the Trussell Trust shows that the use of foodbanks has increased by 3,000 per cent over the past 10 years, with approximately 1.9 million emergency food parcels provided in 2019-20.

Food insecurity is highest among lone parents, predominantly women and children. The impact of the pandemic has made the situation worse.

That’s why the Educational Institute of Scotland is part of Composite B which calls for campaigning efforts to be co-ordinated across affiliates to amplify our anger, to deepen our resolve and to maximise our effectiveness.

No-one denies that there are challenges within the economy, but the rich continue to get richer and the poverty divide deepens — so it’s about the willingness of government to challenge the entrenched inequalities in our society.

For the Educational Institute of Scotland, as with all local government workers, we will be told that councils are cash-starved — and certainly they deserve a better deal, but at the same time they collectively are sitting on millions of pounds of reserves! Why?

The local authority elections are weeks away — can we expect much change?

The political inertia of the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities is staggering — councillors used to stand on platforms of opposition to cuts and leading a fightback; but today, don’t hold your breath.

The simple truth is that the only key to unlocking a better deal, be it public or private sector, lies with us — the trade union movement.

This gathering in Aberdeen allows us the opportunity to connect, collaborate and collectively to set out our campaigning strategy to fightback without fear and full of confidence in our own ability to win a better deal for members.

Larry Flanagan is general secretary of the Educational Institute of Scotland and sits on the STUC general council.