TUC Congress 2017: CSP calls for unions to defend right to remain for EU health staff

^{CSP steward Jill Taylor speaking at the TUC Congress}

Physiotherapist and CSP steward Jill Taylor spoke on behalf of the society at the annual conference of the UK trade union movement, taking place in Brighton from 10 –13 September.

Seconding a composite motion ‘Free movement of labour and EU workers’, Ms Taylor said workers from the EU and beyond made a ‘vital contribution’ to providing ‘high quality care to the UK population’ and they ‘need certainty about the future’, for themselves and their families.

‘We owe the 165,000 staff from other EU countries who work in our health and social care system an enormous debt,’ said Ms Taylor, who is chair of the CSP’s industrial relations committee and a member of the society’s council.

They ensure safe and effective staff levels, ‘bring huge professional and cultural diversity to health and social care’ and ‘allow us to share excellent and ground breaking professional standards across international boundaries,’ she said.

Standing up for EU colleagues

Highlighting ‘distressing examples of our EU colleagues and friends being subject to racist abuse’ from members of the public, patients and carers, and even from colleagues since the EU referendum in summer 2016, Ms Barker said: ‘We must all stand up and be counted by supporting and speaking out for our colleagues from across the EU’.

The motion, moved by University and College Union, called on the General Council to

• defend existing free movement of labour within the EEA
• publicise the benefits of migrants from across the globe.
• oppose points-based immigration schemes
• campaign for an up-front guarantee for existing EU/EEA citizens in the UK to stay, live and work after the UK withdraws from the EU