Dear Brother/Sister
EU Referendum Result:
Build Unity; Defend Jobs, Rights and Services
Yesterday the people of the UK voted to leave the European Union. The Westminster government must respect that outcome and take action to implement it. This is clearly a momentous political decision and the full implications will not be known for a considerable time. The tasks of the FBU are twofold.
Firstly, we must seek to protect the immediate interests of firefighters and of our service and to ensure that this huge political change is not used to make further attacks on conditions or on the funding of our service. Secondly, we must work with the rest of the labour and trade union movement to protect the wider interests of working people, including employment rights and investment in public services. These aims can only be pursued by a programme based on the founding principle of our movement – unity.
The resignation of David Cameron will not be mourned by FBU members – indeed it would be better if the entire government resigned. Cameron’s governments since 2010 have overseen an austerity agenda, which includes a determined programme to drive down wages and to slash funding for public services. One result is that the wages of workers in Britain have still not recovered from the financial crash of 2007/08. Living standards have stagnated, public services are in a critical condition and we face a growing housing crisis. This is the background to the debate around the referendum.
Within our own service, we have suffered the effects of these policies as the Cameron governments have launched a disgraceful attack on firefighters’ pension rights, on public sector pay (including our own) and have imposed the worst cuts to our service in history.
We must now fight to ensure that workers do not pay the price for any political or economic turmoil which follows the vote. The Westminster government should immediately give assurances that employment rights, safety rights, part-time workers’ rights (that apply to retained firefighters) and anti-discrimination rights will be protected for UK workers. They should also prepare measures to protect jobs which may come under threat as a result of the referendum result or any economic turbulence which may follow.
Any attempt to introduce an emergency budget (or other similar measures) which makes further attacks on public services or seeks to increase taxes on working people, must be opposed by the trade union movement and the Labour Party.
The case for unity
The vote reflects strongly held views on both sides and the result shows a highly polarised debate. The FBU represents members across the UK, including in Scotland and in Northern Ireland where wider public opinion is clearly sharply at odds with the position in many English regions. As a union and as part of the wider trade union movement we need unity. That must include a respectful approach to discussion and debate. Regrettably that has not always been a feature of the political dialogue in the run up to the referendum.
One feature of the campaign has been a growing debate around immigration. This reflects a range of concerns and the scale of these concerns varies in different communities and in different parts of the UK. We must ensure that any debate around these issues does not enable some to scapegoat migrant workers. Migrant workers include tens of thousands of people who help deliver our NHS. There are also firefighters and FBU members who are migrant workers. Where others may want division, our answer must be unity and solidarity.
The Executive Council will meet shortly to consider these issues more fully and the union will also participate in discussions in the wider trade union movement and the Labour Party. Meanwhile, we continue our campaigns to defend our service from the numerous attacks we face from both David Cameron and Boris Johnson as well as the rest of their government.
Whether you voted Leave or Remain, let us stand together in defence of our jobs and conditions, our public services and our rights.
Best wishes.
Yours fraternally
Matt Wrack
General Secretary
