{"id":9284,"date":"2016-07-14T12:50:03","date_gmt":"2016-07-14T11:50:03","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/unitelive.org\/?p=9284"},"modified":"2016-07-14T12:50:03","modified_gmt":"2016-07-14T11:50:03","slug":"seat-at-brexit-table-call","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/?p=9284","title":{"rendered":"Seat at Brexit table call"},"content":{"rendered":"
<\/div>\n

Unite policy conference delegates backed a statement on Europe from the union\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s executive council yesterday (July 14), which demanded trade union input into the \u00e2\u20ac\u0098Brexit\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 negotiations.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Warning that workers must not pay the price for Brexit the statement said that Unite would, \u00e2\u20ac\u015bOppose a \u00e2\u20ac\u0098Brexit\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 that reduces trade union rights, excludes Britain from the EU single market and fails to deal fairly with the difficult issue of the free movement of labour, which requires further debate in the trade union movement.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u015bWe further need to ensure that the British and Irish governments do not launch a race to the bottom in terms of social protection, workers’ rights, and corporate tax \u00e2\u20ac\u201c and do not allow multi-national capital to play one government off against the other.\u00e2\u20ac\u0165<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Recognising the concerns felt by Unite members and millions of other working people expressed in the referendum over austerity and other issues such as the abuse of the free movement, the statement went on to say, \u00e2\u20ac\u015bThe referendum result was as much a rebuke to an out of touch political and economic elite as it was about the EU itself.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

“However, those who led the \u00e2\u20ac\u0098Leave\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 campaign clearly have no idea as to how to give effect to its result or cope with the economic consequences of the decision.\u00e2\u20ac\u0165<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Carrying the statement delegates asked Unite to focus on the three key priorities of defending Unite members\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 jobs, the protection of employment rights and opposing the racist backlash unleashed by the vote to leave the European Union.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Concluding the statement went on to say, \u00e2\u20ac\u015bWorking people must be given the chance to choose their path out of the crisis.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u015bThis will demand new policy responses, not least to the deprivation and alienation caused by six years of austerity and thirty years of deindustrialisation, and we look to Labour to give a lead on meeting those challenges in the interests of working people.\u00e2\u20ac\u0165<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Moving the statement Unite assistant general secretary Steve Turner<\/strong> said, \u00e2\u20ac\u015bWhile we\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re clear that there should be no rush into \u00e2\u20ac\u0098Brexit\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 discussions or the triggering of Article 50, we will demand a seat at any \u00e2\u20ac\u0098Brexit\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 table.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u015bWe have a voice, role and demands to make during any negotiations on behalf of millions of working people. We\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re ready to work constructively where we can with employers and the government to confront job losses and secure future investment \u00e2\u20ac\u201c to retain skills and campaign for new work.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u015bThe cost of \u00e2\u20ac\u0098Brexit\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 will not be paid by working people and we will oppose a \u00e2\u20ac\u0098Brexit\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 that reduces trade union rights or excludes us from the single market.\u00e2\u20ac\u0165<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Racism <\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

During the debate many speakers expressed disgust and concern about racist attacks on EU workers.<\/p>\n

Conference heard from London and Eastern region\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s Alexandra Tomczak<\/strong>. She told delegates, \u00e2\u20ac\u015bMy workplace is as diverse as all of London is. I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve been here 11 years. I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve always felt welcome \u00e2\u20ac\u201c until June 24.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u015bIt was a shock. I was sad, tearful, confused then angry. I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve spent over a third of my life here. Some are blaming us for failures of government and the system.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u015bWe have no guarantee that we can stay. There\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s loads of paper work. Your application can be refused without reason and you will lose your money. Some people seem to think it is fine to be racist. It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s not fine to blame immigration. Don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t let hate divide. But now when I see the executive council statement, I trust my union to do the right thing.\u00e2\u20ac\u0165<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Also from London and Eastern was Francesco Testa<\/strong>. He said, \u00e2\u20ac\u015bOn June 24 I woke up to find that the world I knew had changed.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u015bI was so upset about Brexit winning that for first time in 30 years I felt unwelcome in the place I call home. I know the UK is not a racist country and many people who voted Brexit are not racist. But it felt that way. Unite must be actively involved before article 50 is signed.\u00e2\u20ac\u0165<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Steve Turner<\/strong> reassured delegates, saying, \u00e2\u20ac\u015bThere are many thousands of EU nationals working here. We must be clear \u00e2\u20ac\u201c we will fight to secure the right to remain for every single one of them.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u015bWe will always stand in solidarity with all communities against the disgusting upsurge of racism that\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s been unleashed by gutter politics.\u00e2\u20ac\u0165<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Borders <\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Members facing the prospects of border controls being enforced again also expressed their concerns.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Wendy Clouter<\/strong> from Gibraltar supported the executive council statement. She said, \u00e2\u20ac\u015bI need to explain the reality of Brexit for Gibraltar where 96 per cent voted to remain.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u015bEverybody in Gibraltar knew the seriousness of this decision and now what the outcome means. There will be pressure from the Spanish government; we will have to queue for hours on the frontier; there will be the continuous harassment of not recognizing our British citizenship. What else can we expect now?\u00e2\u20ac\u0165<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Liam Gallagher<\/strong> from Ireland told conference what the realities would mean for members throughout the island of Ireland.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

He believed it would, \u00e2\u20ac\u015bDeeply divide whole families. Northern Ireland voted to remain. Ireland is in Europe and is happy to be there. It has a frontier with Northern Ireland.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u015bNorthern Ireland has gained enormously from EU peace settlement funding. There have been huge subsidies in agriculture. All that now remains in doubt \u00e2\u20ac\u201c especially with a Tory government. Our hard pressed economy now faces challenges. We must convince companies not to move to Europe. It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s critical for our economy.\u00e2\u20ac\u0165<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

John Murphy<\/strong> also from Ireland region joined the debate. He said, \u00e2\u20ac\u015bOver 400,000 people born in Ireland live in the UK. While many people will have UK passports their right of residency might come into question.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u015bCreating a hard border could re-ignite tension and go back to the Troubles. No one wants to see those days again.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

He urged delegates to, \u00e2\u20ac\u015bTrust our union to do the right thing and support the statement.\u00e2\u20ac\u0165<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

In his reply to the debate Steve Turner<\/strong> said, \u00e2\u20ac\u015bThe EC statement is very clear. We will never allow the scapegoating of migrants or refugees.\u00c2\u00a0We are incredibly proud of the diversity of our union.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u015bYour executive will continue to respond to events as they unfold. But now we have immediate challenges to defend jobs and our economy.\u00e2\u20ac\u0165<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Unite policy conference delegates backed a statement on Europe from the union\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s executive council yesterday (July 14), which demanded trade union input into the \u00e2\u20ac\u0098Brexit\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 negotiations.   Warning that workers must not pay the price for Brexit the statement said that Unite would, \u00e2\u20ac\u015bOppose a \u00e2\u20ac\u0098Brexit\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 that reduces trade union rights, excludes Britain from the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":9285,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[1],"tags":[545],"wps_subtitle":"Brexit cost must not fall on workers\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 shoulders","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9284"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=9284"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9284\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":9286,"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9284\/revisions\/9286"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/9285"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=9284"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=9284"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=9284"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}