A PACKED Stop the War and Scottish CND fringe meeting called for support for a motion pushing for peace talks in Ukraine, earlier today.

Stop the War chair Shelly Asquith said anti-war positions could not be taken for granted across the trade union movement.

She called on activists to fight to affiliate their union branches and trades councils to Stop the War, and announced the forthcoming launch of a Stop the War trade union network.

RMT’s Gordon Martin said arms companies’ profits were through the roof while ordinary people were suffering from the prolonged war in Ukraine, emphasising the union’s call for a Russian withdrawal from Ukraine and for opposition to any expansion of Nato.

From the floor Lena Wanggren, a UCU member originally from Sweden, deplored the Swedish government’s bid to join Nato and its arms industry. “Building for war means more war,” she warned.

In the course of a lively floor debate, Peter Cooper of the Ukraine Solidarity Campaign said arming Ukraine was the only way to preserve its right to self-determination.

But another speaker countered that countries like Britain which had repeatedly launched wars of aggression should not be trusted when claiming to defend the “rules-based international order.”

Author and campaigner John Foster said trade unionists should be wary of claims the arms industry was good for jobs, as it was so expensive that every job created in arms meant the loss of two non-arms sector jobs elsewhere in public spending terms.

The Scottish TUC will debate Composite Q, which calls for a Russian withdrawal from Ukraine, opposition to Nato expansion and support for unions affiliating to Stop the War and Scottish CND, on Wednesday.