Union firebrand Len McCluskey demands workers rights be protected after Brexit vote
THE FIREBRAND leader of Britain's biggest trade union has claimed Britain voted to leave the EU because the country has "been left behind by globalisation" and workers rights must now be protected.
Union leader Len Mcluskey stood up for workers rights post-Brexit
Len McCluskey, leader of trade union Unite, which has 1.42 million members, shared his thoughts on the economic, social and business reasons behind Britain's decision to leave the crumbling bloc.
At a Trade Union Congress conference in Brighton, McCluskey stated: "We also need to recognise why we lost - above all, why so many industrial communities voted to Leave.
"It shouldn't be a mystery. Far too much of Britain has been left behind by globalisation. Whole industries have disappeared, leaving communities derelict and generations without hope."
Unite backed the Remain campaign and Mr McCluskey travelled up and down the country trying to convince members to stay, but many voters in industrial communities turned their backs on the EU regardless.
Many disenchanted populations of abandoned industrial towns voted Brexit
McCluskey said: "This is an opportunity to reconnect with our members in abandoned communities, an opportunity to break with failed economics and to start the debate as to what sort of country we want Britain to be."
Millions of people, including significant numbers of our members, voted to give the establishment a kicking
McCluskey believes this is down to "austerity and cuts in services on top, with relentless downward pressure on wages, an elite that has passed the burdens of the crisis onto the less fortunate and it is not surprising that millions of people, including significant numbers of our members, voted to give the establishment a kicking."
He stressed that being "out of the EU must not mean out of work" and emphasised it is now the task of unions to ensure workers get the best deal after Brexit.
Unite leader warned that workers had been "left behind" by globalisation
Frances O'Grady, the Trade Union Congress chief, pointed out at the congress meeting that the rights of industrial workers must be given adequate consideration during Brexit negotiations.
She said: "We must build a Britain that is successful, prosperous and fair – a Britain of great jobs for everyone.
"Government must be ready to step in and work to keep the advantages we get from membership of the single market – for all of our industries, not just the City. That's the key to a successful Brexit for working people."