Paddy Lillis – Usdaw General Secretary says: “This Government has provided a masterclass in how not to conduct a negotiation and they now have to go. We are stunned that the loss of a key vote on this Government’s top issue by such a huge margin has not resulted in the Prime Minister resigning, but if she won’t do the honourable thing, Tory MPs should put the country before their party and support Labour’s vote of no confidence.
“We know that 117 Tory MPs do not have confidence in their leader and a similar number rebelled last night to vote down the withdrawal deal. If only a fraction of them were to put self-interest aside and support the no confidence motion; the people can decide, through a general election, who now leads the Brexit negotiations.
“We welcome last night’s historic vote because the Prime Minister’s withdrawal deal did not address our fundamental concerns about Brexit. Since the outcome of the referendum over two years ago Usdaw has called for a Brexit deal that protects workers’ rights, ensures frictionless trade and maintains the Good Friday
Agreement by avoiding a hard border in Ireland.
“Europe has delivered core employment rights that Usdaw members rely on, such as: Paid holiday leave and proper rest breaks; safeguards against discrimination; equal treatment for part-time workers; information and consultation in the workplace; TUPE rights for transferring workers, and important health and safety protections.
“These are minimum employment standards that help ensure fairness in the workplace and a level playing field that stops rogue employers undercutting rivals at the expense of their staff. We have to ensure that a post-Brexit Britain does not spiral downwards into low wages and insecure employment.”
Notes for editors:
Usdaw (Union of Shop, Distributive and Allied Workers) is the UK's fifth biggest and the fastest growing trade union with around 430,000 members. Membership has increased by more than 28% over the decade. Most Usdaw members work in the retail sector, but the union also has many members in transport, distribution, food manufacturing, chemicals and other trades.
For Usdaw press releases visit: http://www.usdaw.org.uk/news and you can follow us on Twitter
@UsdawUnion