This message has been sent out by the PCS NW Regional Committee:
PCS is an independent democratic trade union, and opposition to all forms of discrimination is enshrined in the union rule book.
We are not affiliated to any political party, but as a union we campaign on all issues that affect our members. We are affiliated to Unite Against Fascism which campaigns against the election of racist parties such as the British National Party (BNP).
The BNP campaigns under the slogan “Rights for Whites” and says it is only standing up for ordinary white workers. As union members we know from experience, that the only way to stand up for our rights as workers is to stick together and deal with issues collectively. If the BNP was elected this would be impossible, because they will shut down independent trade unions and round up anyone who tries to organise them.
The BNP has stated that if elected to government they would introduce a policy of deporting all non white UK residents – this policy is called “voluntary repatriation”. This would presumably involve rounding up anyone the BNP determined not to be white and detaining them indefinitely.
You may be aware that the BNP has tried to involve itself in the recent disputes in refineries and power stations. It has latched on to the slogan “British jobs for British workers”. This is not because it supports collective action but because it will hijack any argument involving nationality or ethnicity to try to spread its racist message.
Four years ago the British National Party came within a whisker of winning a seat in the European Parliament for the North West. The vote is on the basis of proportional representation, so they only need a relatively small number of votes to achieve this. This year their leader, Nick Griffin, is standing to represent the North West constituency in the European Parliament and has a good chance of getting elected. This will raise the BNP’s profile both nationally and across Europe and would also lead to them being given tens of thousands of pounds of tax payers money to fund their activities.
We ask all members to make sure you vote in the European elections in order to reduce the percentage of the vote for the BNP.
