10 signatures reached
To: Unite the union
No EU referendum
We urge the Unite Executive Council to publicly drop its call for the Labour Party to commit to a referendum.
Some or all of us withdraw from the Unite political fund until this objective is met.
Additionally, we hope the Labour Party will publicly reject the Unite Executive Council's call to commit to a referendum.
Why is this important?
We, the undersigned members of Unite, were disappointed by Unite's decision, announced on 2 July 2014, to urge the Labour Party to commit to holding a referendum on the UK’s membership of the European Union.[1]
We believe this decision by Unite's Executive Council was a mistake. It does not reflect our wishes, it was taken without consulting Unite's members, and it demonstrates race-to-the-bottom politics.
We believe the UK should remain a member of the EU because membership enhances UK workers' rights, including via the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union.[2]
We believe the best way to ensure the UK remains a member of the EU is for political parties to reject referendum calls and instead make the case for continued membership. With no referendum, there would be no risk of the UK exiting the EU.
We note that the Conservative Party rejected the Charter when previously in power, and that it is only thanks to the Labour Party that it covers UK workers.[3]
We note that because the Conservatives have committed to a parliamentary vote in favour of an in/out referendum on the EU, the only realistic prospect of avoiding such a referendum and saving the Charter is for the Labour Party and the Liberal Democrats to commit themselves against such a vote.[4] The Liberal Democrats have already done this.[5]
We emphasise that neither this petition, nor the act it requests, brings any injury to or discredit upon Unite or any member of Unite. On the contrary, the act requested would strengthen Unite by demonstrating Unite's commitment to the EU's protection of worker's rights, and would help to forge a Labour Party that will provide a real alternative to the Conservative Party in opposition and at the next General Election.
REFERENCES:
[1] http://www.unitetheunion.org/news/unite-urges-labour-party-to-hold-eu-referendum/
[2] http://ec.europa.eu/justice/fundamental-rights/charter/index_en.htm
https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Charter_of_Fundamental_Rights_of_the_European_Union&oldid=614017036#Legal_status
[3] http://socialrights.net/community-charter-of-fundamental-social-rights-of-workers/
[4] http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2014/may/02/david-cameron-eu-referendum-pledge-disaster
[5] http://www.libdems.org.uk/european_election_manifesto_2014
Image source and license: https://secure.flickr.com/photos/skuds/3736995016/
How it will be delivered
This petition will be submitted to the Executive Council of Unite the union.
As it is possible that the Executive Council would consider the petition a "motion", we cannot, as members of Unite, "submit" this petition directly to the Labour Party, lest we find ourselves in breach of Rule 5 of the Unite rule book. However, anybody reading this who is not themselves a member of Unite may wish to make the Labour Party aware of this petition.
