Four hundred professionals, managers and specialists will gather at the Scottish Exhibition & Conference Centre for next week's event, under the theme of "Voices shaping change".

"Prospect is a union that deals in evidence," Clancy will say. "Our political neutrality and ability to influence people across the political spectrum is well established, but we are dealing with a coalition that as both a government and employer makes its decisions first, then goes in search of the evidence." Examples include the government's animosity to workplace regulation; imposed pay freezes; denigration of public servants; attacks on union facility time; and underinvestment in public infrastructure, including energy and flood defences.

Clancy will champion members who protected communities from last winter's floods, and praise the unparalleled expertise of Prospect members across the board – engineers, scientists, telecoms professionals, air traffic controllers and many others – who play such a key role in the UK economy, whether in the public or private sector.

Delegates will debate motions on a wide range of issues, including:

• the damage caused by toxic performance management systems in both the private and public sectors, and how to protect those people affected
• the devastating impact of austerity on the UK's museums, galleries and other heritage organisations and the need to lobby all political parties to reverse spending cuts
• the campaign to restore union rights at QinetiQ, where Prospect and other unions were derecognised in 2012
• how to stop the government's dismantling of health and safety regulation and promote the vital role of Health and Safety Executive
• preventing the spread of zero hours contracts and protecting workers on them.

Conference will host a panel debate on Tuesday on the Scottish independence referendum – see separate news release.  

Break-out sessions will focus on good work, professional women and pensions and there are fringe meetings on "What's the EU ever done for me" and "No world cup without workers' rights".

The conference takes place at Scottish Exhibition & Conference Centre (SECC), Exhibition Way, Glasgow G3 8YW, from Tuesday 20 May–Thursday 22 May.

You can follow proceedings on Twitter using the hashtag #‎Voices2014‬