Holyrood 2026: Prospect’s recommendations at a glance

Ahead of the Holyrood elections on 7 May 2026, Prospect is calling on all parties and candidates to prioritise workers and invest in secure, high-quality jobs.

Prospect is politically independent, but we will always fight for our members’ interests. Explore our policy priorities for the upcoming elections below, shaped by our members who are critical to the future of Scotland.

1. Safeguarding public sector work and advancing fairness at work in a changing Scotland

Key asks 

• Fair work and job security, with protection from outsourcing, casualisation, and budget-driven cuts.
• Fair pay, terms and conditions for all public sector workers.
• Guarantee trade union recognition and access in all public sector workplaces.
• Advance equality, diversity and inclusion measures in public sector workplaces.

2. Protecting Scotland’s heritage: investing in people, preserving our past  

Key asks 

• Reverse cuts and invest properly in the sector.
• Protect specialist roles and skills that are essential to conservation, research, and public engagement.
• Fair pay and conditions across the sector.
• Guarantee trade union recognition and access across all heritage institutions.

3. Safeguarding Scotland’s creative industries:
our voice, our future 

Key asks 

• Boost funding to sustain Scotland’s cultural spend.
• Adopt recommendations made by the Scottish Trades Union Congress to protect freelance workers.
• Scale-up successful initiatives like Bectu Vision to enhance workforce skills.
• Enforce fair work practices across the creative industries.

4. Securing Scotland’s scientific future: fair work, innovation and just transition 

Key asks 

• Invest in science and innovation through sustainable long-term funding streams.
• Protect and promote high-quality specialist roles.
• Enforce fair pay and conditions across the science sector.
• Support trade union recognition and collective bargaining across the sector.

5. Powering a fairer future: clean energy jobs, just transition and workers’ rights

• Deliver a Just Transition for energy workers, in partnership with unions and employees.
• Invest in high-quality clean energy jobs.
• Guarantee that clean energy jobs are good jobs, with fair pay, conditions and opportunities for progression.
• Support trade union recognition and collective bargaining across the energy and renewables sector.

6. Investing in the Civil Service

Key asks 

• Commit to long-term workforce planning and skills development in the civil service.
• Deliver fair, inflation-proof pay settlements.
• Reduce reliance on costly consultants by investing in in-house expertise and career pathways.
• Embed social partnership principles in civil service reform, ensuring union voices shape decisions.