Mr Abed Ali Abeed, Convenor, Bangladeshi Workers' Council Interviewed on EU Referendum on 23rd June 2016

Democracy and Class Struggle is interviewing different national minorities and migrant groups in UK about the EU referendum - we start with the Bangladeshi community


Mr Abed Ali Abeed, Convenor, Bangladeshi Workers' Council, UK


CAN YOU TELL ME ABOUT YOUR ORGANISATION ?

Our organisation seeks to assist Bangladeshi's, whether employed or unemployed, to navigate the world of employment or deal with the uncertainties of unemployment. We want to link all employed and unemployed Bangladeshi workers and individuals to the mainstream organisations, unionise them, and assist them in various ways. The key services we intend to deliver will be: acting as an information hub, delivering advice and guidance, making representations, dealing with political education, providing training and up skilling, researching issues etc.

WHAT DOES YOUR ORGANISATION THINK OF THE EU REFERENDUM IN UK

Our organisation is very new and we have not yet been fully formalised. We have given a free vote for our members but have broadly sponsored LEXIT as a campaigning group.

WHAT ARE YOUR PERSONAL VIEWS ON THE EU REFERENDUM AND WHICH WAY DO YOU PROPOSE VOTING?

I intend to vote NO because I consider that the real power within the EU lies with the European Central Bank and the individual Commissioners and not the European Parliament.

The Bank and the Commissioners are unelected.

For example when they imposed their decisions on Greece it was not decided in the European Parliament.

This undemocratic nature of EU cannot be changed.

Such unaccountability is creating a situation where throughout there is a nationalist backlash that are fostering right wing fascism to emerge.

We saw their increase in Germany, France and how a Fascist nearly became the President of Austria.

I strongly feel that progressives and the Left needs to put forward an internationalist European wide case for exiting from EU.

Only this will counter the right wing nationalist/fascist threat.

I am for Europe but not for EU.

Also our curry industry is under threat.

Discriminating EU Immigration policy is driving our curry industry to be marginalised as it is being suffered from  skilled staff shortage and these staff are not allowed to be recruited from Bangladesh.