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James O’Brien presses Mick Lynch on his Brexit support potentially lowering workers’ rights
4 January 2023, 12:51 | Updated: 4 January 2023, 13:15
James O'Brien challenges Mick Lynch on Brexit
“So your support for Brexit was built entirely upon its impact upon your industry and not the country?” James asked the RMT chief, after reading out a list of rights the Trades Union Congress says workers could lose after leaving the EU.
James O’Brien challenged RMT General Secretary Mick Lynch on his support for Brexit, after the Trades Union Congress (TUC) warned about the “potential impacts of the so-called retained EU Law Bill”.
James ran through a list of workers’ rights which are now at risk of being lost through this bill if it becomes law, including “holiday pay, rights to maternity and paternity leave, maximum weekly working times and paid annual leave”.
“These are hard won rights that the TUC now fears are going to be abolished by legislation being pursued by the current government as a direct consequence of the Brexit you supported”, James said.
“Well they’re a direct consequence of having this government”, Mr Lynch replied.
“No you can’t have one without the other - it’s this government plus Brexit”, James asserted.
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The RMT General Secretary replied: “Absolutely right, it's a political decision that the government we have has made.
James analogised: “It's like they’re going to go and shoot your dog and you’ve handed them the gun!”
“Not quite”, his guest countered, before explaining that the UK “can indeed nationalise public sector services, which you cannot do inside the European Union. You have to have liberalisation”.
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James said firmly: “So you did realise that you were jeopardising potentially holiday pay, data protection rights, collective consultation, protection for pregnant workers, protection of part-time and fixed-term workers? I could go on. I did a minute ago. You can play the tape.”
“But all laws derived from the European Union have the opportunity to be amended now”, Mr Lynch replied.
When James put to him that he prioritises “the nationalisation of the railways above everything else” in the face of the cost of Brexit, the RMT chief said this was “a constitutional matter”.
“So your support for Brexit was built entirely upon its impact upon your industry and not the country?” James probed, to which his guest responded he does believe the UK should be able to make its own laws as well.
He also said he would “campaign for a new Workers’ Rights Bill under a future government” if some of those rights were lost.
