Mark Evans, the Branch Secretary speaks on behalf of Carmarthenshire County Unison Branch Committee:
“Our branch has a proud record of opposing racism and defending our member’s interests.
“Our Unison branch has been criticised regarding our position regarding the Tories proposal to use Stradey Park Hotel to house asylum seekers in the Socialist Worker.
“Whilst 99.9% of our members will not have read this scurrilous article, nevertheless, to set the record straight, we will take this opportunity to respond to this criticism and restate our branch’s position, especially considering the home office’s decision to scrap their plans.
“Carmarthenshire County UNISON supports UNISON’s position that all refugees have a right to safe, humane, and clean accommodation that is suitable to their needs, and we have a proud record of opposing racism both in the workplace and in our communities.
“Our branch and our members have, over decades, attended almost every anti-racist/fascist/far-right event in West Wales and beyond. We have also been to the fore in Wales in opposing council cuts and defending our member’s interests and fighting for resources for all – the council workforce, working-class communities in Carmarthenshire, and refugees and migrant workers.
“We stand for and organise trade unions and working-class unity against the far right and the Tories who attempt to use racism to divide us.
“Our branch has been active from the beginning when the home office first announced they wanted to use Stradey Park Hotel to house refugees and we have encouraged other unions to get involved.
“Given the above and the stance and actions we have taken in regard to the Tories wanting to house asylum seekers in Stradey Park Hotel, Llanelli we were extremely angry and aggrieved, to say the least, that our branch’s credibility in opposing racism has been attacked in the Socialist Worker article written by Isabel Ringrose issue 2876 entitled ‘Burning hatred in Llanelli-how a racist movement turned violent’ with the sub title ‘Anti-refugee hatred is continuing to flourish in Llanelli. Anti-racists are fighting back but a better strategy is needed.’
“It is apparent from reading the article that searching for a better strategy does not apply to the Socialist Workers Party / Stand Up To Racism (SWP/SUTR) as they feel everyone else is wrong because they did not adopt their incorrect approach and methods but conveniently ignores their one fits all approach of SUTR, where if you don’t agree with their slogans and demands, then you are branded a racist or Nazi! This has unnecessarily polarised the situation and made some protesters outside the hotel more susceptible to the poison of the far right.
“There is a saying that there are none so blind as those who will not see. The subtitle and content in the article ‘Concessions have made it harder to fight the racists’ went on to say ‘some unions have opposed the racists, but others have used mealy-mouthed excuses to oppose them (asylum seekers) coming to Llanelli. The local UNISON branch said housing the asylum seekers at the hotel would put significant pressure on council and health services locally that have been cut to the bone and underfunded for many years.’
“The method of housing asylum seekers, decided by the Tory government, was both deliberately provocative, designed to stir up racism (as it has been in other locations across the country) and to the detriment of the refugees themselves, housing them in overcrowded numbers, with inadequate services. SUTR themselves stated that they opposed the use of the hotel for similar reasons!
“This is not making a concession to the racists; we raised these concerns before the far right raised their heads and it is a genuine concern of residents that our branch shares.
“SUTR, in their material, tried to dismiss this legitimate concern by stating that the number of asylum seekers being placed in the hotel would increase the population of Llanelli by a small percentage but this discounted the concerns of the local community (about 400 people) about the potential impact of placing 200+ refugees at the hotel would have on the local GP surgeries, social work services and council services etc.
“On the 9th of June, our branch released a press release that again clearly laid out our position regarding Stradey Park Hotel and the home office wanting to place refugees there.
“We stated we are in favour of the council’s policy of housing asylum seekers across the wider community. We stated that the Tory Government wanted to create a hostile environment for asylum seekers by placing them at the hotel which resulted in the loss of ninety-five jobs.
“But we, unlike the SWP/SUTR, acknowledged the genuine concerns of the local community.
“Surely all trade unionists should be opposed to ninety-five workers being sacked and our branch called on the union they were members of to oppose these sackings.
“We also stated that we did not think housing refugees in the hotel was the appropriate accommodation, as did the Furnace Action Committee. And remember, this was also the stance of SUTR (stated in a leaflet they gave out).
“We do not think this made it ‘harder to fight racists’ or that we or local people have used ‘fake arguments’ or that we have compromised or conceded to racist views, as claimed in the article.
“Because if that is the case, then SUTR is also guilty of this, as is Unison regionally, who supported our position! It is acknowledging the reality of the situation, that this was a complicated situation that was not correctly addressed by SUTR, who regularly screamed abuse at those who did not agree with them, residents, trade unionists, women and more senior citizens, claiming that they were all racist and Nazi’s.
“The opposition to the hotel being used to house refugees was overwhelming in the local community, as voiced by the Furnace Action Committee because in large part it was not suitable for this purpose.
“This does not make most local people protesting outside the hotel racist, as claimed right from the start, by SUTR.
“One SUTR/SWP member’s post even implied that the entire population of Llanelli was racist! Unfortunately, these actions of SWP/SUTR, of applying a blanket approach, calling people Nazi’s or racist when they have a different viewpoint, and having a dismissive attitude to the jobs that were lost and people’s fears, have polarised the situation and pushed some people in the very right/wing direction SWP/SUTR say they don’t want.
“We agree the far right has intervened and has been a presence outside the Hotel for many months – they have had some influence with some protestors but the tactics of SUTR, branding everyone racist on the protests, is wrong and has been an obstacle to achieving unity and stopping this happening.
“The approach of SWP/SUTR claiming local people and our Unison branch were making were ‘fake arguments’ shows how dismissive SUTR and the Socialist Worker are in ignoring genuine concerns. Our branch supported the unity event, which was almost canceled at the last minute, because of the approach of SUTR/SWP, we attended a protest against the far right when we were told they were mobilising outside the hotel.
“While we will always oppose the far right and oppose racism, we also consider that most local people had legitimate concerns and we were not there protesting against them.
“That is why we also supported and participated in the Furnace Action Committee’s demonstration to save the ninety-five hotel jobs, which was addressed by the Plaid Leader of the Council and the grateful hotel workers.
“SUTR/SWP boycotted the demo, claiming it was a racist protest, even though the handful of right/wingers present, who tried to disrupt the speeches, were challenged by us but also shouted down and shown the door by the one hundred strong protestors!
“The Hotel failed a fire inspection recently and the home office now claims its plans to house asylum seekers have been scrapped.
“The fact that the hotel was not suitable does not come as a shock to most, so why would we agree to the slogan asylum seekers welcome here.
“Why is the SWP/SUTR insisting everyone says asylum seekers are welcome here when this would be welcoming refugees to a building that is and never was suitable!”
