Gumbrell-McCormick, Rebecca and Hyman, R. (2017) What about the workers: the implications of Brexit for British and European labour'. Competition and Change 21 (3), pp. 169-184. ISSN 1024-5294.
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Abstract
In June 2016, a small majority of voters called for Britain to leave the EU. In this article we discuss the referendum itself and the form which Brexit may take. It has become clear that the current UK government is committed to a ‘hard’ Brexit which will rupture most existing ties with the EU. While much uncertainty remains, there are alarming indications that ‘regaining sovereignty’ – a key slogan of the Brexit campaign – will translate into abject subservience to the most erratic right-wing US administration in history. We examine the implications of Brexit for labour rights in general and for British trade union participation in European Works Councils in particular: there are many reasons for apprehension. We assess the economic and political fall-out, and end by exploring possible consequences for international trade union solidarity in Europe. In general, trade union policy-makers in Europe are committed to resisting ‘divide-and-rule’ strategies by employers, but there will undoubtedly be tensions.
Metadata
| Item Type: | Article |
|---|---|
| Keyword(s) / Subject(s): | Brexit, European Union, trade unions, labour rights, European Works Councils, solidarity |
| School: | Birkbeck Faculties and Schools > Faculty of Business and Law > Birkbeck Business School |
| Depositing User: | Rebecca Gumbrell-McCormick |
| Date Deposited: | 19 Jun 2017 13:26 |
| Last Modified: | 02 Aug 2023 17:33 |
| URI: | https://eprints.bbk.ac.uk/id/eprint/18986 |
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