Motion – Organising against UKIP and the far right

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Conference
2015 National Women's Conference
Date
15 October 2014
Decision
Carried as Amended

This conference recognises the increasing electoral threat of far right parties in the UK and notes with sadness the by-election result of Clacton which gave UKIP it’s first MP.

UKIP received the highest number of votes in this year’s European elections and now has a significant number of seats in a range of district councils. There is a distinct possibility that UKIP will gain political control of local authorities and therefore many of our local government members next year.

This conference further notes that far right parties are a fundamental threat to the values of UNISON and the trade union movement including solidarity, social justice and collectivism.

UKIP espouses sexist and racist policies and supports further privatisation in the NHS, the repeal of employment rights, scrapping paid maternity leave, annual leave and sickness pay, a further diminution of trade union rights and massive tax cuts for the wealthy. UKIP also plan to repeal legislation making it lawful for a husband to rape his wife.

Despite this many UNISON members, their families and neighbours are attracted by the “anti-politics” messages of UKIP which gives pithy (and fundamentally flawed) answers to the very complex problems facing working people.

UNISON must organise to combat all far right parties. This conference urges the National Women’s Committee to :

1)Have ‘combating the far right/UKIP’ as a standing agenda item at meetings;

2)Encouraging our women members to be registered to vote (new registration systems are now in place)

3)Encouraging the use of postal voting;

4)Increase awareness of the level of threat from the far right and its allies;

5)Educate our women members in what far right policies would mean for us; our public services and our society

6)Work with appropriate groups to campaign against the far right groups; and

7)Aim to win the battle of ideas against the far right and its allies.