Usdaw delegates have voted for the union to support the campaign to remain in the European Union ahead of the referendum on June 23.
John Hannett, Usdaw general secretary of the shop workers’ union, told the annual conference in Blackpool’s Winter Gardens that ‘if we were to leave the EU, there is a clear risk that such employment rights and protections would be dismantled’.
Mr Hannett said: “We simply cannot hope to be better off through going it alone.
“To be able to prosper, we need a growing economy that protects employment rights and the best way to grow our economy is to ensure we can trade with, influence and benefit from being in one of the world’s largest trading blocks.
“If we were to leave the EU, there is a clear risk that such employment rights and protections would be dismantled by a UK Conservative Government.
“Usdaw will always campaign to protect employment rights. However, this campaign will be best served through remaining in Europe.
Also speaking at the conference, MP Alan Johnson, leader of the Labour IN campaign, said: “The 1945 Labour Government rose to the challenge of their age, and they secured a peace in Europe that has lasted for over 70 years.
“Now, colleagues, it’s our job to ensure that the great post-war vision of our predecessors is not diminished and undermined by those whose vision of Britain is as an off-shore, regulation free, anything goes economy engaged in a race to the bottom.
“I believe that the referendum on June 23 is every bit as important as that election in July 1945.”
“The European Union is an international stage which we should be engaging with and not withdrawing from.
“Workers’ rights, jobs and our place in the world are just three of the many reasons why we should be voting to remain in the European Union.”