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At the centre of the industrial action by some 300 staff at the Lindsey oil refinery near Immingham on the east coast is an important national issue. This is not because the site on East field Road is the third largest refinery in the country but because it raises a key issue of the consequences our membership of the European Union.
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The essence of the matter is summed up by shop steward Garry Scales who was reported in a national newspaper as saying: "We are angry that workers have been taken on from outside the UK when people here are out of work."
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After many years of ignoring the details of our membership of the all embracing European Union and pretending that the vast waves of intrusive legislation was not really happening, it is now leaping up and biting politicians, trade union leaders, business people and the public at large and most do not know what to make of it. Clearly our politician do not understand the issue and are alienating themselves further with their crassly out of touch comments.
After many years of ignoring the details of our membership of the all embracing European Union and pretending that the vast waves of intrusive legislation was not really happening, it is now leaping up and biting politicians, trade union leaders, business people and the public at large and most do not know what to make of it. Clearly our politician do not understand the issue and are alienating themselves further with their crassly out of touch comments.
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For example, Alan Johnson, the Health Secretary – and former union leader – has been talking about the need for "fresh directives" in order to make it clear that British workers cannot be undercut on their own turf. Trade Union leaders are calling for "a new EU directive "to overturn two '' European Court '' cases; they are clearly failing to understand that all the European Court of Justice (ECJ) was doing was clarifying that which has been in the Treaty of Rome since 1957.
For example, Alan Johnson, the Health Secretary – and former union leader – has been talking about the need for "fresh directives" in order to make it clear that British workers cannot be undercut on their own turf. Trade Union leaders are calling for "a new EU directive "to overturn two '' European Court '' cases; they are clearly failing to understand that all the European Court of Justice (ECJ) was doing was clarifying that which has been in the Treaty of Rome since 1957.
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What is actually needed is not so much a new EU directive as a new EU treaty – which of course can not happen within five years at least. Our politicians are in effect thrashing around looking for a way out of an intractable problem, that being the complexity and intrusive EU but not admitting, if indeed they understand, that the problem lies deep within the ethos of the EU.
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It is quite depressing watching the former MP for Hartlepool and one time EU Commissioner and now Secretary of State for Business Lord (Peter) Mandelson squirming, trying to explain to us that its "alright chaps" – you can go and get jobs in Italy adding that us that there is "no problem" with EU rules as Total Petroleum – owners of the Lindsey oil refinery – have provided "full reassurance" and dispelled the "perception" that Britons had been discriminated against. Paul Kenny, leader of the vast Trade Union the GMB was less than impressed, spitting with rage, declaring that, "For Mandelson to come out with the Norman Tebbit line to get on your bike and go to Brussels is outrageous.” Well fine, in my view Mandleson's let them eat cake attitude is less than helpful and surely misses the essential point but so to does Mr Kenny by not attacking the long standing Europeanization of our country.
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Our much beleaguered Prime Minister isn't having an easy time of it either making himself yet more unpopular with his fatuous slogan, "British jobs for British workers," he is now telling these ardent jobseekers, looking for rapidly vanishing stock of British jobs, that these "wildcat strikes" are "not defensible". They were "not the right thing to do". Well what is the right thing to do Prime Minister, turn our back on the interference of the EU perhaps?
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The Lib-Dems have been warning that challenging EU labour laws would be a "huge, self-defeating step too far", as they desperately seek to prevent their much loved EU gurgling down the plug hole as British workers finally get wise to the joys of being so 'European'.
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The Lib-Dems have been warning that challenging EU labour laws would be a "huge, self-defeating step too far", as they desperately seek to prevent their much loved EU gurgling down the plug hole as British workers finally get wise to the joys of being so 'European'.
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William Hague added to the tension this week by wanting it both ways. The Conservatives "strongly support" the free movement of Labour within the EU; oh dear perhaps he should have said something about Labour isn’t working.
William Hague added to the tension this week by wanting it both ways. The Conservatives "strongly support" the free movement of Labour within the EU; oh dear perhaps he should have said something about Labour isn’t working.
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The fundamental point is that when the UK joined the then Common Market back in 1973, our political masters at the time accepted on our behalf the right of nationals of any other member state automatically to live and work in Britain. However, at that time there were only eight other member states, all of them prosperous and unlikely to trigger large migration to the UK from what is now the European Union with a population from 26 other member states to look for jobs.
The fundamental point is that when the UK joined the then Common Market back in 1973, our political masters at the time accepted on our behalf the right of nationals of any other member state automatically to live and work in Britain. However, at that time there were only eight other member states, all of them prosperous and unlikely to trigger large migration to the UK from what is now the European Union with a population from 26 other member states to look for jobs.
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When, union organiser Bernard McAuley addressed workers in Lindey last week he clambered on to a flatbed truck to tell them that it was "wrong to ship in workers from the continent when north Lincolnshire had plenty of unemployed builders who could do the job." He did not say that is what the EU is all about... British workers do not have any rights (of their own any more); they have no more rights than the itinerant Latvian who is wants to drop in for a job.That, actually, is the real issue issue and one that our politicians do not tell us. If a nation is to mean anything, it means being able to control access and our government (accountable to us) to decide who can come in and work, and who cannot. It is not the principle of whether foreign workers should come in and take jobs. It is that our government in the UK has no control over the matter; we are now ruled by the EU, mostly from Brussels.
When, union organiser Bernard McAuley addressed workers in Lindey last week he clambered on to a flatbed truck to tell them that it was "wrong to ship in workers from the continent when north Lincolnshire had plenty of unemployed builders who could do the job." He did not say that is what the EU is all about... British workers do not have any rights (of their own any more); they have no more rights than the itinerant Latvian who is wants to drop in for a job.That, actually, is the real issue issue and one that our politicians do not tell us. If a nation is to mean anything, it means being able to control access and our government (accountable to us) to decide who can come in and work, and who cannot. It is not the principle of whether foreign workers should come in and take jobs. It is that our government in the UK has no control over the matter; we are now ruled by the EU, mostly from Brussels.
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The realities and the consequences of the huge amounts of EU regulations and directives that are integrated automatically into UK law are well known to the army of UK small business owners, which is why delegates from the Federation of Small Businesses have twice voted to demand the UK leave the European Union. Perhaps now is the time for the British public to have their say.
The realities and the consequences of the huge amounts of EU regulations and directives that are integrated automatically into UK law are well known to the army of UK small business owners, which is why delegates from the Federation of Small Businesses have twice voted to demand the UK leave the European Union. Perhaps now is the time for the British public to have their say.
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.The posting above was published on 4/02/08 in The Journal
A North of England Newspaper
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