Thanks to the efforts of reps, Edinburgh office staff and other colleagues, Prospect Scotland recruited 896 new members in 2018, compared to 802 in 2017 – an 11% increase.

So, overall membership, based on members joining and members leaving, grew by 48 – an increase of 0.55% on the year.

2018 was a tough year across our branches. Areas including Rosyth, Scottish Power, and Dounreay experienced quite large voluntary severance exercises.

We also know that many Prospect reps and members are heading towards retirement.

We lost 848 members in 2018 – a 33% increase on 2017.

The vast majority of these people didn’t leave Prospect because they were dissatisfied, but they still need to be replaced.

This can only be delivered by the hard work and efforts of our reps, Edinburgh office staff and other colleagues. Our reps work tirelessly to ensure Prospect’s work is carried out in workplaces across the UK.

In addition to growing the region for the sixth consecutive year, colleagues at Prospect Scotland also delivered:

• 116 personal cases and advice and guidance notes for Prospect members including one employment tribunal which settled out of court
• three cases for colleagues at the British Veterinary Association as part of Prospect’s contract with them
• three meetings with the First Minister of Scotland to discuss pay and aviation
• six meetings with Derek McKay, Cabinet Secretary for Finance and Fair Work, to discuss public sector pay and fair work
• three meetings with Michael Russell, Cabinet Secretary for Government Business and Constitutional Relations, to discuss preparations for Brexit and raise issues of concern from our members from the EU
• three meetings with Leslie Evans, the Permanent Secretary, to discuss Brexit and the outcome of Alex Salmond’s judicial review
• three meetings with the Labour trade union group of Members of the Scottish Parliament to discuss aviation and public sector pay
• two meetings with the Scottish National Party’s trade union group of MSPs to discuss aviation and public sector pay
• one meeting with Paul Wheelhouse, Minister for Energy, Connectivity and the Islands, to discuss Scottish energy policy and climate change
• one meeting with Michael Matheson, Cabinet Secretary for Transport, Infrastructure and Connectivity, to discuss the centralisation of air traffic services at HIAL Inverness
• one meeting with Fiona Hyslop, Cabinet Secretary for Culture, Tourism and External Affairs, to discuss the concerns of members in the culture sector
• one meeting with Colin Smyth, Shadow Cabinet Secretary for Transport, Infrastructure and Connectivity, to discuss the centralisation of air traffic services at HIAL Inverness
• one meeting with Tavish Scott, Scottish Liberal Democrat spokesperson on business and MSP for Shetland, to discuss the centralisation of air traffic services at HIAL Inverness
• one meeting with Rhoda Grant, Shadow Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs, to discuss centralisation of air traffic services at HIAL Inverness
• one meeting with Claire Adamson, MSP for Motherwell, about issues facing women members in science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM)
• one meeting with Claire Baker, Shadow Cabinet Secretary for Culture, Tourism and External Affairs, to discuss Prospect’s ongoing campaign for investment in UK heritage
• one meeting with Jamie Hepburn, Minister for Business, Fair Work and Skills, to discuss concerns about Scottish shipbuilding, particularly job losses at Rosyth
• one meeting with Duncan Chapman, MP for West Fife, to discuss concerns about Scottish shipbuilding, in particular job losses at Rosyth
• organised and delivered another successful ‘Talk Prospect’ week.

Richard Hardy, the union’s national secretary for Scotland said: “Prospect has been at the forefront of keeping members’ concerns in the public eye and we’ve worked hard to take every opportunity to highlight the amazing jobs they do. We will continue this work in 2019.

“I know 2018 was a genuinely difficult year, but the team at Prospect Scotland wanted to thank all our reps and members. We genuinely couldn’t do this without you, let’s keep it up for 2019.”