Brexit

Congress notes that the UK's decision to exit the EU has the potential to have a unique and disproportionately damaging impact on the people of the island of Ireland from an economic, political, social and cultural perspective. The people of the Republic of Ireland were not consulted on the UK's decision to leave the EU and the people of Northern Ireland clearly voted to reject leaving the EU. On both sides of the border trade, employment and inevitably employment standards will be impacted upon in the event of the UK Tory government proceeding with a hard Brexit.  In Northern Ireland the important concept of consent is being agrantly set aside which has the potential to undermine the Good Friday Agreement and add further political instability. Congress reaffirms its policy position on Brexit as published in the winter of 2016 and to that end seeks: To lead and build a consensus amongst civic society in Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland around the core and fundamental elements of our policy positon on Brexit to seek to ensure that workers, both north and south do not pay the price of Brexit. To engage with our trade union colleagues across the UK and in Europe through the established Council of the Isles and the ETUC respectively, to ensure that our unique circumstances and workers concerns both north and south are understood and taken on board internationally. To pursue a coherent and sustained lobbying campaign with the Republic of Ireland government, the UK government and any local devolved Executive in Northern Ireland in order to seek to ensure that workers concerns are seriously addressed  in the negotiations (and in any subsequent negotiated outcome) as the UK government negotiates its exit with the remaining EU 27 states over 2017/18.