We all rely on public services to educate our children, care for our loved ones, protect public health and keep communities safe.
Public services underpin a fairer Scotland – delivered by skilled, committed public service workers.
Too often, the debate about public services is reduced to slogans and false choices.
We are told there is ‘no money’, that technology can replace people, or that cuts can be made without consequences.
Scotland needs an honest, national conversation about the future of public services – what we expect from them, how we pay for them – and who pays – and how they should change.
And change must mean improvement, not managed decline, and it cannot become a cover for more cuts.
UNISON Scotland Manifesto
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Louise Noble deputy convener
UNISON Scotland deputy convener Louise Noble said: “I urge you to take this manifesto into your branches, please use it to make this a public services election. THis election has to be about public services”
UNISON is the public services union
As Scotland’s biggest public service union, representing 160,000 public service workers, we bring a vital voice to this debate. UNISON members see first-hand services under pressure and know how they can be improved.
This manifesto is grounded in that real-life world experience – this is your manifesto. It reflects what staff across services are telling us: services stretched to their limits, workforces under strain, and a widening gap between political rhetoric and everyday reality.
Working in partnership with Poverty Alliance we took our public services campaign to the heart of every political party conference in Scotland. You can read about our 2025 campaign here
Public services cannot function without the people who deliver them.
This election matters
However you decide to vote, vote for public services and talk to friends and colleagues about doing the same.
Our manifesto ensures your voice is heard on the issues that matter. It calls for sustained investment in services and the workforce that delivers them.
Public services tackle inequality, support communities and build a fairer, more prosperous Scotland.
Public services are essential to our quality of life and at the heart of a fairer Scotland.