The front cover of the document I held up at Edinburgh Castle last month said it loud and clear in big, bold letters: YOUR SCOTLAND, YOUR REFERENDUM.

The whole point of this consultation is to try to make sure as many people as possible have their say on Scotland’s referendum. We want to get as many people and organisations talking about this as possible, because it matters for each and every one of us and all our futures. So when I get the chance to talk face-to-face with the people who represent thousands of workers across the country I want to make sure our constitutional future gets talked about.

That’s why when I met with the STUC for our regular round-table talks yesterday we discussed jobs for young people and boosting manufacturing in Scotland, but also the importance of the Autumn 2014 referendum. These are connected issues of course – if we had the full powers of independence we could do so much more to boost the economy and create jobs.

Last week I told the London School of Economics that I see the debate about independence as about looking forward and creating a better future for Scotland. Many of the critical measures that need to be taken now to boost our economy, create jobs and build a fairer society – all priorities that we share with the STUC – can only be taken when we have full financial control resting in Edinburgh rather than at Westminster.

Our future matters to all of us and I’m grateful to the STUC for taking part in the discussion and having their say.

If you haven’t had your say on the consultation yet do so now by going tohttp://consult.scotland.gov.uk/scotreferendum

First Minister Alex salmond