Workers’ & women’s rights come from the UK, not the EU.
One of the very many myths about the EU is that it has been responsible for the minimum statutory workers’ rights enjoyed in the UK today. This is often repeated, particularly by Labour and LibDem pro-Remain politicians.
QUESTIONS FOR REMAINER MPS
Do Remainer MPs want the UK to sink to the EU’s level?
Do they want no minimum wage legislation?
Do they want British workers to lose 8 day’s holiday pay?
Do they want women to lose 38 weeks’ paid maternity leave?
Last week Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn mentioned the subject of workers’ rights again, in his letter to the Prime Minister, demanding “dynamic alignment on rights and protections so that UK standards keep pace with evolving standards across Europe as a minimum”.
Theresa May is still trying to persuade Labour MPs to back her non-Brexit Brexit deal. She has said that the Government is proposing to introduce a draft bill guaranteeing that UK workers’ rights will keep pace with those in the EU.
Workers’ and women’s rights
1. EU workers’ rights laws are lower than the UK’s
UK statutory paid holiday entitlement is 28 days, in the EU only 20 days
National Minimum Wage Act 1998 — there’s no EU minimum wage law
Maternity leave — UK: 52 weeks, EU: 14 weeks
Under EU laws, the British people’s rights would decrease
2. UK established workers’ rights long before the EU
“Protection against sex, race and disability discrimination in the UK pre-dated EU law” (from TUC report)
Women’s rights: Equal Pay Act, Abortion Act and Divorce Reform Act were all passed before the UK even joined EU
Sex Discrimination Act, Domestic Violence Act, Employment Protection Act — no EU involvement
EU’s Posted Workers Directive means EU workers can be employed in the UK for a fraction of the cost of UK workers
3. EU healthcare rights are way below UK standards
EU has no free healthcare requirement — most people pay for top-up private insurance
In France, it costs over £25 just for 5 minutes with your GP, paid at the time
In many countries, you pay and get only partially reimbursed later
With the UK’s NHS, treatment is free at the point of delivery
4. Finally, workers’ rights are only relevant if you have work
In the Eurozone, austerity has taken the jobs of millions of workers
You’re nearly twice as likely to be out of work in the Eurozone
An entire young generation across southern Europe has been devastated by 30–50% unemployment for years
In the area of workers’ and women’s rights we’ve shown above, the UK’s statutory arrangements are better than those which would be applicable under EU law.
Remainer misinformation
In Parliament in recent months, swathes of Remainer MPs have stood up many times and trotted out the mantra that the British people had been lied to during the Referendum campaign.
Indeed the British public has been lied to on a systematic and epic scale, but the vast majority of the lies came — and still come — from Remainers. Their continuing claims about workers’ and women’s rights which have debunked above are just one small example of this.
Relevance to Brexit
The EU is insisting on a “level playing field” as part of the ‘Future Partnership’. In other words, it is trying to prevent the UK from operating as an independent country with its own taxation policies and other frameworks which would make the UK a more competitive country than those in the EU.
What could be a more obvious lack of a level playing field than that of UK businesses competing with businesses in the Single Market and Customs Union having a minimum wage 1/5th that of the UK? Or trying to compete with businesses which don’t face costs of higher holiday entitlements, or substantially longer maternity pay?
With a true, clean Brexit the British people and its Government will want to keep existing rights, but at least when the UK leaves it will be able to adopt sensible policies in other areas, to help British businesses compete.
Do Remainers want to go backwards?
The UK has chosen, through its elected representatives, to have workers’ rights which go well beyond those applicable under EU law.
It surprises me that Remainer MPs seem to want these workers’ rights rolled back to match the lower standards applicable in the EU...
[ Sources: Hansard | EC Working Time Directive 93/104/EC | TUC report 2016 on Workers’ Rights | EU Commission | Competences between UK and EU Social and Employment Policy (UK Gov’t) | National Minimum Wage Act ]
