TUC boss says ‘people deserve a say’ on UK's future relationship with the EU

Union support for fresh vote is growing with the 150th anniversay congress looming

TUC General Secretary Frances O'Grady (Getty)

TUC general secretary Frances O’Grady has told The Independent that “people deserve a say” on the UK’s future relations with the EU.

Speaking amid preparations for the 150th anniversary congress that starts in Manchester on Sunday, O’Grady went on: “I don’t think people have enough trust that Parliament alone can do the job.

“I don’t think they want to outsource that decision. Quite genuinely, I don’t want to pre-judge our own democracy, but I feel that appetite is growing.”

The TUC is due to discuss its official position, which O’Grady will give voice to, at the event.

However, the union movement is increasingly in favour of giving people a final say, putting Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn under pressure to shift his party's position.

Britain’s third biggest union, the GMB, delivered a major boost to The Independent’s campaign by backing the call yesterday.

In a video statement Tim Roache, its general secretary, condemned “the mess this government is making of Brexit” when “there is so much at stake”.

O’Grady said on the same subject: “Right from the start of this process it should have been about protecting the economy, workers’ rights and jobs, as well as the peace process in Northern Island. Those should have been the red lines.”

The union chief has repeatedly said that the UK should consider the so called 'Norway plus' option of a Brexit under which the UK retains membership of the European single market and customs union.

She said: “That is our assessment of the best way of protecting jobs and the economy.”

O’Grady said she was concerned about answering a complex problem with a simple question in a referendum but she added: “I’m a trade unionist and there is no way that union negotiators would go into a negotiation about what is going into a deal without getting the approval of the membership.”

The UK’s economy was the fastest growing in the OECD prior to the EU Referendum, but since then it has sunk to the bottom of the table. The latest Purchasing Managers Index data on construction and manufacturing have pointed to a slowdown in both sectors.

Meanwhile, there are growing fears about the impact of a no-deal Brexit – still the bookies favourite – on ordinary people, particularly those who are “just about managinig”.

A TUC analysis of official data published today will show that average household income has fallen short of spending in every quarter since Theresa May became Prime Minister, with a typical household pushed £1,250 into the red during her time in Number 10 Downing Street, further underlining the problems created by Brexit.

“The Government’s own advice shows life will be harder under Brexit and the harder the Brexit the worse it gets,” O’Grady told The Independent.

She said she believed many of those who voted Leave were people who felt they had been forgotten and left behind in Britain.

“I understand Brexit is the key issue that has dominated government policy, and that it is the most important issue facing the country, but the problems that made people vote that way, people who felt treated like they were disposable, they were there before the referendum they are still there and they are getting worse.

“Government can’t be a one trick pony and it is possible to delegate. I want to know who is looking after the interests of working people in this country? Who is minding the shop?

“I was just re-reading the speech Theresa May made on the Downing Street steps when she took office. It is about the government being on the side of working people and prioritising their interests against those of the wealthy. But that has’t happened.

“Look at the way having workers on boards was dropped.”

O’Grady also highlighted how the Government commissioned review into modern working and the gig economy by Matthew Taylor has been kicked into the Whitehall long grass.

“As far as we were concerned it didn’t go far enough. But where has it gone? Whatever happened to it? Our release shows that every single quarter under Theresa May average households had more going out than coming in. This is what happens when you have flat wages and insecurity at work.

“We have seen the balance of power shift against working people. We know there are nearly 4m on zero hours contracts, agency workers, temporary workers or very low paid self-employed workers, which is very often a proxy for not being self-employed at all.

“They don’t have any basic rights. So if they fall sick, want to have a baby, or simply want the national minimum wage it is a struggle for them. It is a struggle to get what most people think any decent employer should provide as a matter of course.

“It is worrying that 10 years on from the financial crisis the burden is still falling on working people who are struggling with transport costs, childcare costs, both of which are rising faster than wages. “Affordable homes are pretty thin on the ground. If this was a score card, all those promises have been abandoned. “

O’Grady stressed that the TUC was not affiliated with any political party but said Labour was “ahead of the curve” on Brexit compared to the government.

“They will have their debates as we have ours. I do feel confident that Labour realises any agreement, any deal, requires sensible compromise and good faith. What really matters are what are the priorities are. As I’ve said, they should be jobs, rights, the economy and peace.”