- Conference
- Date
- June 16, 2017
- Decision
Conference notes the Conservative Government’s plans for Brexit which represent a significant risk for working people in the UK. The EU has played a key role in protecting workers from exploitation, inequality, hazards and discrimination, and in promoting good employment practices. The referendum result does make Brexit a reality and that democratic decision must be respected, however the trade union movement must now ensure that the Government does not use leaving Europe as an opportunity for deliver a bonfire of those established employment and equality rights.
It has become clear the Tories’ vision for Brexit is of the UK acting as a low-tax, low-regulation haven for unscrupulous businesses. With no concrete plan for creating a stable economy – or how our public services will be properly funded – the need for stability and reassurance for working people has never been greater. Hard-working public sector workers from Europe who came to the UK to work for our NHS, schools and social care, must also be reassured they are welcome and can remain.
Conference believes that employment rights must be protected in full and that any plan for Brexit must include a provision for investment in quality jobs and the protection of living standards. Furthermore, any trade deal with the EU and other major economies must include a fair deal for public services, rather than the threat of further privatisation represented in the now stalled Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) negotiations.
The North East is set to lose the most in terms of funding as a result of Brexit, having received £195.4 million in European Social Fund grants and £296.0 million in European Regional Development Fund grants. The combined total of these two figures is the equivalent of £189 per head over a seven-year period – the most money received by any region in the UK. Given the North East has already been on the receiving end of some of the deepest public sector cuts in the country (without the benefit of so-called sweetheart deals enjoyed by some parts of the country) the stakes could not be higher.
Conference therefore calls on the National Executive Council to:
- Ensure that UNISON plays a key stakeholder role in Brexit negotiations;
- Campaign to ensure that the UK Government does not repeal any current rights guaranteed by the EU, or water down or dismantle trade union and worker rights;
- Campaign to ensure the rights of existing EU workers to remain in the UK are protected, whilst ensuring movement of workers in the EU as a key reciprocal right in any agreement that allows UK access to the single market;
- Work with regions to ensure engagement with MPs, MEPs,Councillors, citizens, employees, trade unions, employers and community organisations on alternative economic strategies that benefit working people in the region within the context of Brexit.
Northern Region
NEC POLICY: SUPPORT