Trade union motion in support of the Fight for Sites campaign
This branch notes that the brutal eviction of the Dale Farm Community, carried out by a Government funded police operation on 19th October 2011, has left the Dale Farm site a wasteland, with 83 families homeless and living in inhumane conditions. This is just one of countless Traveller evictions, often from land which they own.
A major cause of these evictions is the failure of local council planning committees to provide a sufficient number of authorised sites, which in turn has been exacerbated by the removal of the legal obligation on local authorities to provide sites. This is part of the government’s Localism agenda which the TUC has already criticised for the damage it is doing to communities across the UK. [1]
This branch therefore resolves to:
(i) Support the Fight For Sites campaign and the demonstration outside the Department for Communities and Local Authorities on 19th October, the anniversary of the brutal eviction of Dale Farm
(ii) Send members to the launch meeting of the campaign, 7.30pm, Thursday 20th September at the Unite national offices in Holborn
(iii) Donate £100 to the campaign
(iv) Call for the national union and/or EC, Black Members or other relevant committees to support the Fight For Sites Campaign and the demonstration on 19th October in particular
(v) seek the support of the Cross Trade Union Parliamentary Group in support of the campaign
This Branch further notes that the disadvantage experienced by Roma and Traveller people extends beyond housing to cover almost every area of life, especially education and health provision. We welcome the rise of self-organised and broader solidarity campaigns to oppose the racism and discrimination experienced by these communities.
Conference therefore resolves to actively support Roma and Traveller rights. Conference therefore calls on the EC, Branches, and Constitutional Committees to:
- Support self-organised and broader solidarity campaigns, such as the Traveller Solidarity Network
- Publicise events such as Roma Nation Day and meetings and protests organised by the solidarity campaigns.”
Notes
[1] https://www.tuc.org.uk/tucfiles/354/Localism_Guide_2012.pdf
FIGHT FOR SITES (for UNITE branches)
This branch of UNITE welcomes the adoption policies on Gypsy and Traveller Law Reform at our last conference in July 2012. We note the of the Fight for Sites Campaign which reflects this policy. We note the demonstration called by Fight for Sites on 19th October 2012, which is the anniversary of the brutal eviction of Dale Farm We therefore resolve to:
(i) Support the Fight For Sites campaign and the demonstration outside the Department for Communities and Local Authorities on 19th October, the anniversary of the brutal eviction of Dale Farm
(ii) Send members to the launch meeting of the campaign, 7.30pm, Thursday 20th September at the Unite national offices in Holborn
(iii) Donate £100 to the campaign
