Whatever one's position on the EU referendum, it's clear the atmosphere since the "Brexit" vote has been pretty toxic. There have been several instances of racist and xenophobic attacks on migrants and black and ethnic minority people. In politics, right-wing Tories haggle over who will succeed Cameron, and Blairites in the Labour Party have launched a coup attempt against left-wing leader Jeremy Corbyn. Tubeworker supporters active in the Labour Party will be working with other activists against that coup.
Tubeworker was for a "remain" vote, in part because we thought the poisonous atmosphere shaped by nationalism we now see developing would be an inevitable consequence of "Brexit".
For trade union activists on LU, and elsewhere, we think some immediate steps are implied:
Defend migrants' rights. Many migrant workers work on the Tube, many as outsourced workers such as cleaners, but also within the directly-employed workforce. Their rights are now threatened. It's not clear exactly what settlement will be reached, but it's vital that we speak up loud and clear for our colleagues' right to live and work here, and oppose any restrictions on new migrants coming to Britain.
Defend workers' rights. The Tories are likely to use "Brexit" to launch an offensive at some workers' rights that we protected by EU law. Britain being out of the EU doesn't mean we can't defend, or re-win, those rights, but it does make the Tories' job easier. Our unions should fight for social levelling-up across Europe, against the Tories' race to the bottom.
Fight for solidarity. In many ways the worst consequence of "Brexit" will be the ideological boost given to the idea that nationality, or immigration status, is the key axis in politics, and that we should unite with others of our own nationality against outsiders, foreigners, or immigrants. This is a poisonous idea which undermines the values of solidarity and equality that underpin the labour movement. Unions must go on the offensive for those values, proclaiming that workers' common interests are with each other, not with bosses and the rich who happen to share our nationality.
