The No One is Illegal (NOIl) Trades Unions Conference Against Immigration Controls was held on March 31. 80 to 90 union activists, asylum seekers and migrant rights campaigners gathered in Liverpool.
Discussion covered the issues and demands that trades unions need to address to play a constructive role in the lives of working class people moving to the UK for work or asylum.
Separate sessions addressed unionising migrant workers, equal pay and conditions, problems with antitrafficking legislation and how unions can support antideportation campaigns. There was also a discussion about the controversial issue of amnesty.
The conference was held in Liverpool in order to show solidarity with Asylum Link. This is one of several growing organisations of asylum seekers currently emerging around the UK.
One of its members was recently returned to Liverpool from pre-deportation detention as a result of the intervention of five trade union general secretaries. Another member was unable to attend the conference as he had been seized a few days earlier. The conference started with the delegates joining local campaigners at a support action.
No One is Illegal supporters had made a big effort to take the conference and its issues into the trade union movement. Recent "Fighting Unions' rallies around the country had been leafleted in an effort to make migrant issues more central to the union lefts agendas.
The shop stewards conference in July is seen as a major target as the next step in broadening the awareness of trade union activists of the centrality of migrant issues to working class interests.
One of the themes of the conference was a growing awareness that migration controls are an attack on workers as workers.
A successful stall was organised at the North West TUC AGM the week before the conference and efforts are now being made to take the debate into the TGWU regionally. Reports were given from several unions who are developing their organisation amongst migrants. These include the GMBs work amongst migrant sex workers and TGWU efforts with cleaners and Latino Reports were workers in London. given from Immediate plans in
the North West several unions revolve around May
who are Day demonstrations developing focused on migrants
rights, and the visit
their of reactionary organisation Migration Watch
amongst academic Coleman to
Manchester in May.
migrants. The other big
upcoming event is the London Strangers into Citizens demonstration (also on May 7th). As this demonstration is focused on partial amnesty for some there was some discussion about how this should be supported - a debate which will no doubt continue.