THE UK is at a crossroads in its relationship to the rest of the world, and so is our party. Immigrants and free movement are being scapegoated by a political and economic elite that is subjecting ordinary people to cuts and austerity. During the greatest refugee crisis in recent years, the Tories have responded with brutality and detention centres.
Labour should respond with clarity, humanity and solidarity. We fought the last General Election arguing against such scapegoating, and celebrating the contributions of migrants to our society. That tone must now translate into policy.
Migrants are not to blame for falling wages, insecurity, bad housing and overstretched public services. These are the product of decades of underinvestment, deregulation, privatisation, and the harshest anti-union laws in Europe. On the contrary, migrant workers have been on the front line of fighting for better pay and working conditions. Labour is the party of all working people – regardless of where they were born.
A system of free movement is the best way to protect and advance the interests of all workers, by giving everyone the right to work legally, join a union and stand up to their boss without fear of deportation or destitution. Curtailing those rights, or limiting migrants’ access to public services and benefits, will make it easier for unscrupulous employers to hyper-exploit migrant labour, which in turn undermines the rights and conditions of all workers.
Free movement enhances everyone’s rights. The news that Theresa May suppressed nine independent studies that showed migration has little impact on jobs or wages should come as no surprise. But those within the labour movement who recycle the myths about migrants being to blame for low wages or unemployment are not only siding with the racist media and politicians – they are doing their dirty work for them , disorienting and dividing our movement.
The Labour Campaign for Free Movement was launched to oppose the rise of ‘British Jobs for British Workers’ and ensure workers denied a voice in the referendum aren’t silenced in the labour movement.
To sign the statement and find materials, vist: www.labourfreemovement.org
