Europe is still one of biggest issues in national politics and the Government referendum on Europe in late 2016 will be a once in a lifetime national debate that will determine our daily lives for many years to come.
As usual, the main actors in the debate: politicians, business and a mainly Eurosceptic media will play a critical role in shaping public opinion. However, it is essential that we are all in an informed position about the potential outcome and consequences of the ‘in/out’ referendum question.
Some trade unions and trade union members remain unconvinced by the benefits of Europe. As we saw in the last General Election, Eurosceptic parties like UKIP are attracting many traditional Labour voters. Although David Cameron’s main aims for negotiation this year will focus on sovereignty and freedom of movement and less on workers’ rights and protections, past experience shows us that this does not guarantee that workers and trade unions are safe. Indeed, cutting ‘excessive red-tape’ is often short-hand for working rights and Cameron is in effect demanding the right to overrule Europe as the government see fit.
It is therefore essential that workers and their organisations are fully engaged in the debate and the challenge for the trade unions in the coming months ahead is to be able to form a clear narrative around our membership of Europe, and ask and answer why it is in the best interests of workers, their families and communities to remain part of this arrangement.
A Social Europe, as promoted by the European TUC, Socialist MEPs and trade union colleagues has helped to deliver many tangible benefits in the workplace like paid annual leave, maternity rights and raised the bar on Health and Safety in the workplace. Social partnership and dialogue has enabled our representatives in Europe to make a range of practical proposals that advance the interest of workers and secure jobs and investment rather than the pro-business agenda of the European Commission that brokers deals like TTIP or imposes severe austerity measures in countries like Greece. And ultimately, we must reject the notion that the UK will be better off out of Europe. The UK’s exit would be complete folly – a massive economic, social and political risk that may result in the UK becoming the ‘poor relation’ of Europe – a de-regulated, low-wage, low-tax economy that would damage the rights, protection and status of workers and trade unions.
Moreover, some organisations and individuals in the Labour Movement have argued recently that if Cameron negotiates a deal that enables the Tories to remove some of our hard won employment rights in the UK – such as a watering down of the Working Time Regulations – then unions should campaign for our withdrawal from Europe. ERIS believes this is a premature and counter-productive move. It would undermine the position of workers and their unions across the EU as other governments would likely seek to copy ours and attack workers’ rights. We suggest that until the outcome of the negotiations is clear unions should remain united and concentrate on defending a Social Europe and commit ourselves and our European trade union colleagues to securing that end. If Cameron’s deal appears eventually to undermine employment rights then at that stage we will reconsider our position. Ultimately our goal must be at least to preserve what we have. Alone, out of Europe, that will be even more difficult.
ERIS wants workers and trade unions to be engaged in the Referendum debate and show why a Social Europe can help deliver long-term sustainable employment, improved living and working conditions, working rights, protections and collectively rise to the social, environmental and economic challenges of today. Moreover, there is a long tradition of internationalism and solidarity in the labour movement and through working in cooperation with our Europeans colleagues we have achieved peace and prevented the conflicts of the past.
ERIS therefore recommends trade unions to vote ‘Yes’ to stay in Europe in the forthcoming UK Referendum
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