This article appears as part of the Unspun: Scottish Politics newsletter.
Charities fear for the future as they axe jobs and notify staff of redundancies. Will this Scottish budget lead to a winter of discontent for our third sector?
A charity boss recently described to me the mood within the third sector. It is a "deeply distressing" time for charities, she warned.
Staff are "anxious and uneasy" as they wait for news on their employment future, and they seek reassurances that cannot yet be given.
Swinney, Robison and co will set out plans for the upcoming financial year on Wednesday. Most of the conversations on the lead up to it has been around whether the SNP can strike the right deal to pass the budget.
That is, of course, important. Major decisions will be stalled, and uncertainty will only worsen, if the budget does not pass.
But on the other side of it, there are third sector organisations waiting on tenterhooks to learn whether they can afford to keep staff in their vital roles.
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We have seen charities across the country float redundancies on a pretty shocking scale so far.
Young Enterprise Scotland, a charity supporting school pupils, has become the latest organisation to confirm 17 members of staff have lost their jobs weeks before Christmas.
Bosses described the move as "enormously unsettling".
Last month, the Glasgow Disability Alliance revealed it is weighing up making at least 13 members of staff - 72% of the workforce - redundant. That will leave just four members of staff to support around 6,000 disabled Scots in the largest city.
Many of these jobs are guaranteed to be axed but others could be saved with an announcement of renewed grant funding from the Scottish Government.
In the case of both charities, the loss of whole or partial grant funding has shattered financial security.
On top of cost of living pressures, the increase to employers national insurance contributions is also a thorn in the side of charities.
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The increase is great news for the treasury - it is expected to raise around £25 billion. But employers - including charities - face an extra cost of around £600 per employee annually. An estimated £75 million to the whole third sector in Scotland.
UK Chancellor Rachel Reeves has faced calls to bail charities out of the rise with a vital cash injection. But with finances strapped in almost every area, it seems unlikely this support will come.
Possibly every part of the country is facing tougher finances this winter. It is charities, though, that normally sweep in to help the public when other resources fail or are unavailable.
If the third sector faces a 'winter of discontent', it has lasting consequences for vulnerable people who rely on their services.
Ahead of the budget on Wednesday, Scottish ministers will be faced with the tough choices of what areas to prioritise. Will they support struggling charities who have helped so many people over the years?
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