Trade unions are about solidarity. The very name of our movement is symbolic of the fact that we are bound together by ties that go beyond nationality or location.
By John-Paul McHugh, Scottish officer at Community Trade Union
Trade unions are about solidarity. The very name of our movement is symbolic of the fact that we are bound together by ties that go beyond nationality or location.
We stand together with colleagues across the UK, campaigning as much for fairness in Scotland as we do in England, Wales and Northern Ireland.
At a time of economic turmoil across the world now more than ever we need to stand together in the pursuit of social justice. Putting up barriers between workers in the rest of the UK makes no sense at all.
And workers across the whole of UK stand united in solidarity. Whether we are from Glasgow, Grimsby or Glamorgan, we know that by working together we can achieve so much more than we could apart.
Where is the social justice argument in abandoning colleagues south of the Border?
I am proud that Community members from across the UK have come together to say with a clear voice that we are better together and will campaign against Alex Salmond’s plan to break up the United Kingdom.
Working together with trade unionists across the UK we have achieved so much. From the National Minimum Wage, which the SNP failed to support, to health and safety legislation, pooling our resources across the UK has resulted in significant improvements for our workers.
Things are far from perfect, but the suggestion that workplace rights would be infinitely better in a separate Scotland is risible.
The complete failure of the SNP to support the Scottish steel industry when contracts were being handed out for the Forth Road Bridge replacement was a taste of what life would be like in a separate Scotland.
The SNP’s economic case for breaking up Britain appears to rest on cutting corporation tax for big business. When companies like Starbucks, Vodafone, Apple, Google and npower stand accused of avoiding tax on a grand scale, Alex Salmond wants to reduce their burden even further.
We are promised Scandinavian style public services and investment but Irish style levels of low taxation. It simply doesn’t stack up.
One area of significant concern to steel workers in Scotland is the impact of separation on pensions. Campaigners fought long and hard to establish the Pensions Protection Fund (PPF), the UK wide scheme which supports workers whose pension schemes go bust. What will happen to this if Scotland breaks away?
The failure of the SNP to provide any credible assurances on the PPF’s future is indicative of the flimsiness of their case.
Working together and pooling our resources is what the trade union movement, and Community in particular, is all about. Creating divisions on the basis of nationality is contrary to our whole world vision. We are so much stronger and better together as part of the UK.
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49 Responses to “Trade unionism is not about creating even more divisions based on nationality”
uglyfatbloke
No they did n’t and there is a touch of poetic justice I suppose. In practice the gnats won because they are better at delivering social democrat government; that does not mean that they will win the referendum OTH if Better Together keeps up the ‘Project Fear’ approach they will continue to shoot themselves in the foot. It’s not to risky just now because of the important support of the BBC and the media generally, but in the campaign period proper when the BBC has to be more impartial it will become a problem.
DavidT
Why bring up the issue of Forth Road Bridge steel? Does this man know anything about the steel industry in Scotland. Scottish steel was not used because no Scottish firms took part in the tender process. They didn’t take part because there are no Scottish firms which can make steel to the required specifications. They can’t make the steel because the UK government destroyed the industry in Scotland. Better Together? I think not.
Also, Independence (not “separation”), has nothing to do with the SNP. There will be elections in an independent Scotland. The SNP are only the means of getting independence.
As for his argument about the SNP not supporting the minimum wage, for someone so obviously interested in their policies, why does he not know that the SNP want to replace the minimum wage with a living wage.
There is too much wrong with this piece to go into every detail, suffice to say it is full of the usual lies, deceit and misrepresentations I have come to expect from the anti-independence lobby.
This reads like a Better Together press release that Mr. McHugh has been forced to put his name to. If these are indeed Mr. McHugh’s own words, then I fear for all those represented by the Community Trade Union when there is such an absence of thought and intellectual honesty in their officers.
Jimmy Ross
How about an explanation of the totally undemocratic vote at conference to support bettertogether. How many members in Scotland were asked and by whom. This has little or nothing to do with workers rights and everything to do with currying favour with London Labour
john
How a trade unionist can argue that we should keep the millionaire tories in power is beyond me.
As for the steel industry he has a short memory. A vibrant Scottish steel industry could have provided steel for the Forth bridge. The decimated remains we have now are the result of Thatcher. Conveniently forgotten
Eilif
Excuse me but support for independence is a not a division based on nationality. Why not make that argument against devolution? The idea that supporters of independence don’t have a strong bond with people in England that is plain ignorance and if it is what you are suggesting then it is insulting and you should hang your head in shame!