The public service union believes that public sector workers and those they support will be better of in
UNISON, the UK’s second-largest trade union, has announced that it will campaign for the UK to remain in the EU, and will encourage its 1.3 million members to vote Remain.
The decision was taken at a meeting of the union’s governing National Executive Council, following a six-week consultation with members and branches. UNISON reports that approximately 60,000 members took part in its survey. Of the 78 per cent who believe the union should take a position, 95 per cent believed that it should campaign for the UK to stay in the EU.
UNISON’s campaign will focus on the workplace rights guaranteed by the EU.
David Prentis, UNISON general secretary, commented:
“Europe isn’t perfect, but on balance staying in the EU has so much more to offer nurses, teaching assistants, town hall staff and other public servants than an uncertain future where the UK goes it alone.
“Brexit fears have just seen the UK’s growth forecast downgraded. NHS, local government, school and police employees bore the brunt of the last economic downturn, and are still paying the price. The last thing anyone wants is another recession where jobs, living standards and public services are back on the line.”
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2 Responses to “UNISON will campaign for the UK to stay in Europe”
Ian Hill
so, if my maths is correct, 95% of the 78% of the 60,000 members out of a total 1300000 membership want to stay in the EU, thus UNISON has based its decision on the opinion of just 3.4% of its members. That’s not exactly ‘representative’, but then UNISON has a notorious reputation for being more driven by its politics than the interests of its members.
A Natt
Yes, your maths may be correct but as a member led democratic union we have taken the views of those members who engaged in the consultation. Unfortunately more members didn’t take part in this consultation. As a union we are doing our best to encourage our members to engage with their union. For any UNISON members reading this, I would recommend they visit our website on a regular basis to keep up to date with current campaigns and to find out more about how they can get involved. It is important to remember the 1.3 mill members are the union, and we can all contribute to making a change for the better.