EU referendum: Give British workers something to vote for, says TUC

14 July 2015

TUC General Secretary, Frances O’Grady, will push for a better Europe for workers in her meeting today (Tuesday) with the Prime Minister of Luxembourg, Xavier Bettel – who will chair the EU Council of Ministers throughout the UK renegotiation process ahead of the EU referendum.

Frances O’Grady will urge Prime Minister Bettel and other European leaders to resist Cameron’s attempts to undermine workers’ rights. But the TUC General Secretary will also press for a positive vision of Europe’s future.

The TUC says that Europe needs reforms that will deliver sustainable growth based on investing in good jobs that pay higher wages; and measures to prevent employers from abusing free movement, through exploitation and undercutting.

TUC General Secretary Frances O’Grady said:

“We are arguing for a better Europe, not just the status quo. We want a Europe that delivers more and better jobs. We want a sustainable investment plan for Europe that prioritises more public house building, energy efficiency and improved transport and communications infrastructure. And we want workers to get more of a say over what happens in their workplaces.”

“Instead of David Cameron’s negative ‘do what I say or I’m leaving’ approach, trade unions are saying ‘give British workers something to vote for.’”

NOTES TO EDITORS:

- TUC General Secretary Frances O’Grady will meet with Prime Minister Xavier Bettel at 3pm (CET) on Tuesday 14 July in Luxembourg.

- Polling published in May by the TUC revealed that British people are far more likely to want to remain part of the EU if it leads to better pay and rights at work. The poll of 4,000 UK voters – commissioned from Greenberg Quinlan Rosner – showed that 55 per cent of the public would be more supportive of Britain's membership of Europe if it did more to help working people get decent pay and conditions at work. By contrast, fewer than one in four (23 per cent) said they would be more supportive of the UK’s EU membership if it did more to cut red tape on businesses.

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Contacts:

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Elly Gibson (Mon to Wed)  T: 020 7467 1337  M: 07900 910624  E: egibson@tuc.org.uk