As campaigning reaches a climax ahead of Thursday's EU Referendum, ICTU Assistant General Secretary Peter Bunting called on trade unionists to defend the rights of all working people by using their vote and voting to Remain in the European Union. Mr Bunting noted that: "For the past half-century, EU law has provided the floor that our trade union collective agreements have built upon. "Thanks to EU law, full-time workers are entitled to at least 20 days a year in paid holidays. There are Protections for Agency Workers and against discrimination on age, sexuality, gender, race, disability, or simply becoming pregnant. There are rights for workers to be consulted about major changes that will affect people's jobs or result in redundancies. All workers benefit from these laws."Trade unions benefit from European law in defending our right to organise and take legal cases on behalf of members. In addition to paid maternity leave, parents also have the right to take some unpaid leave to take care of their children. This is important for parents with children who have a disability. The same EU law also gives parents time off for urgent family reasons, like a sick child."We also have the wonderful right to travel, work and retire in any EU country, a freedom enjoyed by thousands of Northern-Ireland born workers."And these are truly democratic freedoms, for everyone to enjoy, not just the rich. "No trade union member can trust the likes of Boris Johnson or Nigel Farage with their rights as workers, or as citizens of Europe. Send them the message that workers' rights are not for sale. Vote for a Europe that values all of its people. Vote Remain"
