The constitutional earthquake of 2014, which for years rippled into political aftershocks felt across different elections – general, Scottish, local – seems to, for now, subsided.

With the SNP going through an internal regime change which has, undoubtedly, correlated to some gloomy polling results, the First Minister has a huge job on his hands to manage expectations ahead of the next General Election. One which, with any luck, will see the Tory UK Government booted from office, allowing working people to heal from 14 years of painful austerity.

The political actors and make up of our institutions will, likely, be remarkably changed since the 2014 referendum but will our communities follow suit?

Whether you were Yes or No, Independence or Better Together, what the referendum offered Scotland was an opportunity to build something different; to take a seat at the table as part of a more democratised, empowered Scotland within the United Kingdom or to seek what was offered by independence.

Irrespective of the result, what should have followed was the continuation of the grassroots, pluralised expression of change; that workers had agency and a desire for something different rather than business as usual politics.

Very much hampered by the SNP’s centralisation approach of IndyRef campaigning, the Yes movement has largely stalled. There hasn’t yet been the sustained groundswell of voters to achieve the elusive 50%+1 required.

But if there is anything this cost-of-living crisis has taught us, it is that people are desperate for change. Whether that be constitutional, social or political, we cannot keep relying on a failed economic model that entraps too many within poverty and delivers the riches to a select few.

There is space within our society for the dreamers and for the doers – for those who want to do things differently; those who seek to challenge austerity and redistribute resources in favour of those who generate them.

As such, last week I was pleased to speak at the launch event of the new think-tank Future Economy Scotland.

At its core, their mission statement is simple: to decarbonise, democratise and decommodify our economy.

To decarbonise and ensure that our journey to net-zero isn’t tainted by the deindustrialisation failures of the past; that workers have a real stake in creating the green industrial jobs of the future that have Fair Work at its heart. To democratise our politics and bring power back to the people, giving the electorate and their communities a stake in how our economy is shaped. To decommodify and protect our public services, shining a light on those who extract profit from our public infrastructure and remodelling our services to work in the best interests of our people.

These aren’t just policy goals – they’re imperatives. If we are to have a populace that’s empowered and a planet that’s inhabitable, the Scottish Government cannot simply ignore the voices of those who are seeking to ensure a fairer society.

Almost 10 years on from the referendum and almost 25 since the re-establishment of the Scottish Parliament, can we say that the dial has moved in favour of working people?

In 1999, there was great hope and expectation from Scotland’s trade union movement that the Parliament would be a worker’s parliament. That workers voices would be heard, and change would follow. Can I say that it has lived up to those expectations? Unfortunately, I can’t.

Undoubtedly, there has been a range of progressive legislation, but it hasn’t delivered the fundamental shift in wealth, wellbeing and power towards workers, our families and communities, in Scotland and beyond, that we so desperately need.

But crucially, I think there has also been a lack of progressive policy ideas emanating from Scottish civil society and that’s why the creation of Future Economy Scotland excites me.

As we move forward, it’s our duty to push governments to act in our interest. As the past 12 months especially have shown, the trade union movement won’t do so quietly.

Roz Foyer is General Secretary of the Scottish Trades Union Congress (STUC)