Nov 02 - Unite The Union Gibraltar Discuss MOD Cuts And Impact Of Brexit In Whitehall Meeting
A Unite the Union Gibraltar delegation led by Regional Officer Victor Ochello and comprised additionally by Branch Coordinating Officer Christian Duo and Executive Committee Secretary Frederick Martin, participated in a meeting at Whitehall with Under-Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, Robin Walker MP. Present at the meeting were Mr Walker's staff as well as Gibraltar's Chief Minister, Fabian Picardo, the Attorney General, Michael Llamas QC, the CEO for Public Sector HR and Business Support, Michael Crome and the Gibraltar Representative to the UK Dominique Searle.
Unite briefed Mr Walker on issues that concern the Union and its membership, that hinged principally on the following areas:
- Brexit and the Ministry of Defence
- Brexit and the Industrial Dimension
- Brexit and the Social Dimension
Brexit and the Ministry of Defence
In respects to the MOD, Unite's objectives on the matter were as follows:
- Given Gibraltar's vulnerabilities post Brexit and the effect the proposed MOD staff downsizing will have on its economy, Unite objects to the job cuts and requests that the new MOD operating model exercise not apply to Gibraltar.
- If the above were not achievable, the UK must decrease the number of job cuts that will take place in Gibraltar in consultation with Unite Gibraltar, and identify alternatives and potential cost saving exercises that do not entail job losses.
On behalf of the Union, Christian Duo questioned the lack of consultation in this matter which could be perceived locally as a fait accompli. He further highlighted that there were a number of posts in Gibraltar that were undertaken by UK based civilians with no special skills that could be undertaken by locally entered civilians at a lower cost.
UK-based civilian staff in Gibraltar are privy to certain allowances such as those relating to accommodation, medical, education and general cost of living allowances that locally entered civilian staff are not. Whilst Unite respects the need to have UK-based specialist skilled staff in Gibraltar, it cannot say the same for those that do not possess said skills.
Mr Walker took on board these concerns and stated that he would liaise with the Secretary of State for Defence on the points that Unite had raised.
Brexit and the Industrial Dimension
Victor Ochello, in his capacity as Regional Officer took a holistic view of the dangers of Brexit and briefed Mr Walker on general industrial and economic matters that concern the Union.
Unite's objectives on this issue were as follows:
- Freedom of Movement across the Gibraltar/Spain border for Gibraltarians, Gibraltar residents, EU Nationals and Gibraltar workers.
- Access to the European Single Market free from tariffs.
- UK support and defence of Gibraltar's current economic model despite a Brexit scenario.
The Regional Officer stated that fluidity at the frontier was part of Gibraltar's lifeblood where both capital, such as that generated by tourism, as well as Gibraltar's inevitable dependence on non-resident labour, played a pivotal role in Gibraltar's economy, which could be seriously jeopardised if the frontier were used as a political tool of aggression as has happened in the past. He further highlighted how the Health and Care services, which depend significantly on non-resident labour, could be brought to a grinding halt if these professionals were unable to reach their workplaces.
He stressed to Mr Walker that if such an outcome materialised, it would be Gibraltar's most vulnerable such as patients at St Bernard's Hospital and Ocean Views, as well as the elderly in the residential homes, the disabled and Looked After Children within the Social Services that would pay the price of Brexit and Madrid's aggression towards Gibraltar. That being said however, Unite emphasised that fluidity at the frontier was not just a concern in respects to workers, but a general concern for the people of Gibraltar who had suffered significant retentions in the past and had been, by de facto, boxed in within the physical delimitations of Gibraltar. Any agreement in respects to movement of people would have to include Gibraltarians and Gibraltar residents.
Access to the European Single Market and defence of Gibraltar's economic model were also high on Unite's list of priorities given that if business and commerce flourished in Gibraltar, greater public investment could be made to maintain and grow services for the people of Gibraltar. Mr Ochello stated that Unite was a responsible stakeholder in the wellbeing of Gibraltar's community and feared that if the worst of Brexit occurred, businesses could relocate and investments compromised, which could lead to job losses in the Private Sector as well as austerity measures being implemented within the Public Sector.
Mr Walker agreed with Unite in respects to the concerns that they raised on this front. He stated that the UK position on the Gibraltar border was that it was crucial that movement continued to exist for the purposes of investment, such as that facilitated by tourism, and the need for the non-resident workforce to reach their workplaces. It was also the UK's objective in the upcoming negotiations to secure access to the Single European Market free of tariffs which would also include Gibraltar's access to the market in the same existing manner. An interim approach to the issue however, which is currently being explored, is the creation of a Single UK/Gibraltar Market so that business from the rock that service the UK can continue to flourish.
Brexit and the Social Dimension
The third and final matter that concerned Unite was the impact that Brexit could have on the social fabric of relations between Gibraltar and the Campo de Gibraltar. Frederick Martin highlighted that Unite had been instrumental in creating the Cross Frontier Group (CFG), a collective of Commercial and Trade Union entities on both sides of the border, that have worked towards common aims since its inception stemming from the different frontier fluidity crises of 2012 onwards.
As objectives were met, the Group set new ones with the latest being the creation of various European Groupings for Territorial Cooperation (EGTC) between Gibraltar and the Campo de Gibraltar, an EU framework that allows for the creation of wealth and shared projects from cultural, educational and sporting backgrounds that attracts EU funding, which more importantly, is administered at the local and regional level as opposed to the national level. The Government of Gibraltar have supported the creation of said EGTCs from the outset given the potential they have to buffer some of Madrid's aggression, as well as highlighting to the world that its designs on Gibraltar are not shared by most of the Spanish Citizens in the Campo de Gibraltar and even the Junta de Andalucía, who have backed the project last week during a debate at the Andalucian Parliament.
To this effect, Unite's objectives in this matter were the following:
- The UK must support the creation of EGTCs between Gibraltar and the Campo de Gibraltar.
- The UK must be vigilant that existing and future EGTCs were not compromised or diluted by Madrid or the EU against the wishes of Gibraltar.
Mr Walker valued these efforts and agreed that EGTCs seemed an ideal vehicle to promote cooperation at the local and regional level, a level where these efforts would not be wasted as Unite perceives would be the case if cooperation were sought directly with Madrid. He pledged the UK's support in exploring these mechanisms and if potentially fruitful, the support in making these EGTCs a reality.
Outcome of the meetings
Unite was satisfied that the meeting with Mr Walker was a resounding success. A document describing Unite's position on the above matters at length was handed to Mr Walker who valued the contribution as an addition to the holistic picture of what different Governmental, Social, Industrial and Commercial entities sought for Gibraltar on the advent of Brexit.
The Under-Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union went further to highlight that the notion that Spain had, where they seek to exclude Gibraltar from UK/EU negotiations on the UK's departure from the EU, in order to treat Gibraltar as a bilateral issue, had no legal basis for it to hold any traction whenever Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty were enacted. Mr Walker reiterated the UK's position that Gibraltar would be consulted and be part of the negotiations when the UK finally sat down with the EU in order to discuss its exit terms.
Unite the Union's Regional Officer, Victor Ochello, took the opportunity at the conclusion of the meeting to state that Unite the Union Gibraltar would continue to lobby UK Parliamentarians and Decision Makers on matters concerning Brexit, the MOD and Gibraltar generally, in the interests of its members and wider Gibraltarian community.
{fcomment}
