Public Meeting 'Healthcare and Welfare, NOT Warfare!'.

Clydebank TUC organised another public meeting on Tuesday 26th May at The Hub Community Centre, Clydebank to put forward the Scottish trade union case for investment in healthcare and welfare of citizens instead of further increased military spending by the UK Government.

Following article reproduced with permission from the Morning Star, Tuesday 27th May:

HEALTHCARE and welfare, not warfare” was the demand heard at a public meeting called by Clydebank Trade Union Council (CTUC) on Tuesday night.

Soaring temperatures on the Clyde did little to stifle discussion as locals heard speeches from EIS general secretary Andrea Bradley, RMT Scotland officer Gordon Martin, trades council rep to the STUC general council Drew Gilchrist, and Stop the War Scotland secretary Sophie Johnson.

Referring to a motion passed at STUC Congress calling to roll back increases in defence spending, after a “comradely” debate with delegates representing arms industry workers, Mr Gilchrist said: “The SNP plans to cut 0.5 per cent of the public service workforce that’s already 10 per cent lower than it was 15 years ago.

“We are seeing an increase in wealth disparity and poverty and a decrease in our public services, but the British government wants to utilise weapons manufacture as an economic stimulus, despite the fact that it produces just one per cent of overall GDP and those areas around the UK where weapons are manufactured are some of the poorest.

“Most of the profit it produces is sent to the United States.”

Outlining the key role of trades councils in building an alternative, he added: “These motions and analysis come from into the movement from trades councils because they act as a conduit, as a connecting point between political, social, and industrial struggles the working class face.

“They could only come from that space.

“It brings us into contradiction sometimes with our own unions, but it allows us to force the conversation to be had, to allow us to bring these militant ideas to what can sometimes be a very stagnant debate.”

16/03/26. Public Meeting in support of International Women's Day.

A Public Meeting has been called by Clydebank TUC in support of International Women's Day to be held on Monday 16th March at The Hub Community Centre, 405 Kilbowie Road, Clydebank with a 7.00pm start.

Hear from a range of trade union and community based female speakers about the historic and ongoing fight and struggle for womens equality and liberation. The danger of abuse and violence posed to women and girls from the misogynistic far-right will also be discussed. Speakers include: Dawn Brennan, Clydebank Women Supporting Women, Linda Somerville, STUC Deputy General Secretary, Liz McGachey, PCS and STUC Women's Committee and Megan McDougall, UNITE Glasgow and West of Scotland Community Branch.

28/01/26. Public Meeting on 'Tackling the Far-Right & Reform UK'

Clydebank TUC hosted another successful public meeting on Monday 26th January, this time on the issue of the far-right and Nigel Farage's Reform UK. The meeting opened with Labour Councillor for Cardonald, Matt Kerr stating that people feel alienated from the political process with Keir Starmer's Labour Party doing very little to counter Reform's narrative on immigration. Cllr Kerr also went on to say that migrants are being exploited by unscrupulous employers and that only activism can change the current narrative owned by Reform and the far-right. Matt made an appeal to people to get involved in their local community councils, tenants associations, trade union branches and affiliate and be active within Trades Union Councils as they are key to the working class fightback.

Dawn Brennan from Clydebank Women Supporting Women mentioned the current tragic events in the USA linked to Trump and ICE Agents stating that the misogynistic, racist attitudes had created a narrative were supporters of Trump are now emboldened to express such views publicly. Dawn also said that severe cuts to local council budgets combined with the attitudes of the far-right and Reform leads to our communities becoming more dangerous and unsafe for us all as violence against women and girls are currently at epidemic proportions in Scotland and we cannot let Reform debase the conversations in our communities on such issues.

Former SNP MP for Glasgow South-West said that it was a known fact that the biggest security threat in the UK is from far-right behaviours and actions and suggested that people should write to their local MP asking what is being done to combat this threat and the fact that many are travelling to Northern France to harass migrants. Chris also stated that asylum seekers should be given the right to work as many are skilled individuals with skills the UK currently need and went on to say that the myth from Reform and the far-right that the UK social security system is generous to asylum seekers and migrants is just that; a myth. People seeking asylum living in a hotel are given £9.95 per week or £49.18 per week if they are living in other accommodation. Mr Stephens also said he was extremely concerned by the fact Reform could deliver around 20 MSP's at May's Holyrood elections

The meeting also heard from refugee, Midya Janshould of the Kurdish Solidarity Campaign who informed the audience of the current events being faced by women in Syria with thousands of IS prisoners being released to whip up extremism leading to violence and murder.

Young striking UNITE workers Daniel and Max from Village Hotel and Vue Cinema told of their experiences of trying to gain trade union recognition from their employers with a living wage, subsidised transport when working late and decent hours of work. They also told of their experiences receiving abuse by the anti-trade union far-right online and whilst on the picket line.

A audience discussion then followed with the meeting ending with the summing up from the panel of speakers congratulating Clydebank TUC on their efforts for holding this important meeting and for their efforts in the local community.

25/11/25. Public Meeting

Clydebank TUC hosted a successfull public meeting on Monday night at The Hub on the topic of 'Protecting Our Women & Girls'. The meeting was called as a response to the far-right and mainstream media's growing use and deliberate misuse use of the narrative that women and girls need protecting from asylum seekers and refugees.

The meeting and it's speakers; an all women panel of trade unionists and feminist activists, dispelled the myths surrounding this misleading narrative which has been increasingly used by the far-right; including Reform UK Ltd, to scapegoat and spread fear amongst local communities. Once the audience had heard from the speakers a question and answer session followed.

You can watch the meeting in full by clicking on the link on our Home page.

05/11/25. WDC Budget Cuts

West Dunbartonshire Council’s Labour Administration are lining up more deep cuts to what is left of our Library services after slashing the service in previous years. The Council has a statutory duty to deliver Library services, but with the threadbare service we have at the moment, due to previous cuts in jobs and closed libraries, it is doubtful if we can continue to meet our statutory duty if the Council continues to chop services & jobs, as proposed. Cuts to Leisure Services are also being mooted by the Council. (WDLT) West Dunbartonshire Leisure Trust, a private company registered with Companies House, receives around £4m per year to deliver these services. Their board meetings are private; the press and public are not allowed to attend, nor are local Councillors. The minutes of their meetings are not available. The Labour Administration is also considering transferring some leisure services to third parties to run. This is the first step to privatisation.

Councillor Jim Bollan, talking to Clydebank TUC said the Community Party warned "years ago that enough is enough. We need to stand and fight and refuse to implement these vicious cuts from the Government, which originate in Westminster. None of the 22 Cllrs were elected to oversee the demise of public services and jobs; in fact, the opposite was the case.It is time to stand up and be counted and set a "needs-based" budget which reflects the needs of the people who voted us into office, not the Government in Westminster, who continue to spend billions on warfare as opposed to welfare."

Clydebank TUC agrees with Jim.