International Union Rights

Throughout Europe, far-right extremism is on the rise in our workplaces, in our communities and online . Far right parties and movements are growing. In Europe the far-right Identity and Democracy Group is now the fourth-largest group in the European Parliament with 76 MEPs overtaking the Greens who are fifth largest group with 68 MEPs. Trade Union members are not immune Membership of a trade union does not always mean, like it used to, immunity to the ideas of the far-right, as these parties have moved to abandon their explicit neoliberal policies, at least in public discourse, and have taken what traditionally were trade union issues of redistribution – although this will likely be linked with a divisive narrative of antiimmigration and a return to nationhood. Surveys carried out by trade unions of their members in early 2019 found that in some member states up to a third of trade union members voted had decided to vote for far right parties. When asked why they voted in favour of these parties in the recent 2019 European Parliament elections, these trade union members mentioned job insecurity, precariousness, and the fear of losing their social protection safety net as their main motivation. Stealing our clothes? Among the ways in which the far right have made themselves and their message more appealing to trade union members and broader sectors of the population is by taking up some of the trade union demands, language and narrative but none of our values nor the recognition of the legitimate role of trade unions to defend workers’ rights and interests. Often the far right claim to represent workers rather than trade unions and are often critical of trade union positions in support of gender equality, LGBTI rights, their strong stand in full support of human rights and asylum seekers as well as to international solidarity. Driving a wedge between working people. Despite their appeal to some parts of the working class voters, their economic and social approach and proposals do not aim at tackling root causes of inequalities, instead they focus on claims that migrant workers are ‘taking our jobs’ and a welfare chauvinism that views immigrants as undeserving and disproportionately drawing on welfare and public services and claims of welfare misuse by immigrants. This contrasts sharply with the trade union message that we need to change the balance of power by building real worker power by building up trade unions for working class and advancing collective bargaining. We are not who we were before COVID-19 A major unknown at this moment is how the COVID-19 pandemic will impact on the politics of the far right. Historically pandemics have forced humans to break with the past and imagine the world anew. This one will be no different. The decisions made during the emergency and in the economic and social recovery will have consequences. The far right may find more fertile ground for their message once the immediate threat of the virus recedes and the discussion shifts to the economic destruction the coronavirus will undoubtedly leave in its wake. We owe it out of respect for those who have suffered greatly and those who turned up on every frontline, heathcare, cleaning, retail transport not to drift into some notion that we can recover what we had previously and this would be sufficient. We cant settle for the insecurity of where we were before, stagnating and poverty wages, hollowed out employment relationships and a broken social contract. That would be so wholly insufficient to the contribution that so many have made. Those who have continued to work throughout the Covid-19 crisis have been publicly praised because of their essential contribution to the society, often at great personal risk. This is very important, but now concrete actions need to follow, in order to ensure decent working and living conditions for those workers. A new Social Contract The recovery should pave the way for a more equal and just society. Inequality has grown substantially since the 1980s and the gap between top pay and average pay is getting bigger and bigger. While some have unimaginable wealth, many workers struggle to make ends meet, and others have...