GMB calls for urgent action after UK votes to Leave EU
GMB calls for urgent action to protect jobs and workplace rights as Britain votes for Brexit
The government needs to act straight away to secure jobs and keep the economy moving says GMB
GMB General Secretary Tim Roache called for urgent government action today to protect jobs in the wake of the Brexit vote, as well as an immediate commitment from government that it will act to protect the rights of working people. (See notes to editors for a link to a Huffington Post article from Tim Roache).
GMB had urged its 640,000 members to vote to remain in the EU to protect the workers’ rights that the union had fought for – such as the right to guaranteed holiday pay, maternity leave and a raft of health and safety legislation, as well as jobs and industries that rely on the EU.
The vote to leave the EU puts at risk all rights guaranteed by EU legislation, as the country heads into unchartered waters, with the economic shock of the vote holding potential for another economic crash.
Tim Roache, GMB General Secretary, said “We’re in uncharted waters. The government needs to act straight away to secure jobs and keep the economy moving – too many working people are still carrying the can for the last economic crash, they can ill afford another one.
What happens next cannot be the preserve of a government elected with 37% of the vote or potentially a Prime Minister who was never elected at all. The British people have spoken, many of them frustrated with business as usual, choosing to leave the EU because of the impacts of the flexible labour market and the pursuit of free trade above all else.
Our place in the world cannot be one based on a Tory Party free-for-all, free market philosophy. A race to the bottom which prioritises the removal of trade barriers and the flexible labour market above all else will fail working people and the very voters who made their decision yesterday.
The Prime Minister must act now, on a cross party basis, to heal and represent the whole county. Not just the rifts in his Party. That means an urgent plan to protect jobs and a guarantee that no workplace rights will face the axe.”
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Contact Lisa Johnson on 07900 392228 or GMB press office on 07970 863411 or 07739 182691
Notes to editors
1 Link to EU referendum article from Tim Roache on the Huffington Post
