News update as of January 25, 2019

Brexit/UK unions disappointed after meetings with May. As UK prime minister Theresa May prepares her plan B for the EU withdrawal agreement, which will be voted on by parliament on 29 January (see article n°10972), she hosted meetings one by one with the heads of the UK’s primary trade union groups on 24 January. The face-to-face meetings at 10 Downing Street, an extremely rare event in the political agenda, did not prove fruitful, according to the union leaders. Frances O’Grady, general secretary of the Trades Union Congress, complained that the prime minister’s “tweaks aren't enough”, adding: “We need substantial change to the whole deal.” Tim Roache, leader of the GMB union, said: “I’m afraid to say the prime minister today failed to give us the guarantees we need over protecting jobs and rights at work.” The disappointment was shared by Len McCluskey, the leader of the Unite union, who added: “Is this just a PR stunt for the media… or this a genuine attempt to see if we can talk about issues that matter to us? Warm words are one thing, but action is needed.” During these unprecedented meetings, all the union leaders insisted on the need to avoid the UK exiting the EU without a deal. “A ‘no-deal’ Brexit must be avoided at all costs, and the prime minister needs to rule this out immediately,” Unison general secretary Dave Prentis said, though without managing to successfully persuade the head of government.