REGULAR
SHOULD WE STAY OR SHOULD WE GO!?
As the debate continues to heat up, Lee Baker, PR and Media Manager for the British Cleaning Council, looks at the impending EU In/Out Referendum, examining what either outcome could mean for the future of the cleaning industry.
The British people are on the brink of making their biggest decision in a generation, as Prime Minister David Cameron announced that the EU In/ Out Referendum would take place this summer, on Thursday 23rd June.
Ever since the Tories announced there would be a referendum at last year’s General Election, the media has been in an EU frenzy, but now David Cameron’s negotiations are nearing the end, the phoney war has given way to the real thing.
Conservative Eurosceptic MP, Jacob Rees-Mogg, recently described the Prime Minister’s list of demands from other EU members as 'pretty thin gruel', and this is just an appetiser of the kind of rhetoric that will fill the airwaves now the referendum poll date has finally been set.
It is a momentous occasion for the UK in general, but what does this all mean for the UK cleaning industry?
A crystal ball would be needed to adequately answer that question. For every ‘Nigel Farage’ who argues we’d all be better off leaving the EU, there are plenty of other sober analysts, like the CBI for instance, who say the risks of leaving are just too great to take.
It is undeniable that professional cleaning is now a truly global industry, and that much of the regulatory environment has been globally focused
24 | Tomorrow’s Cleaning March 2016
for some time. The International Electrotechnical Commission is the key body when it comes to machinery standards, not the EU or any of the other regional groupings.
In chemicals, the United Nations has adopted the GHS (Globally Harmonised Standard) criteria, which have been converted wholesale into national laws on chemical labelling and packaging around the world. And the World Health Organisation (WHO) is the key driver of health standards, especially in the developing world.
But one of Europe’s most divisive issues is immigration, and there can be little doubt that the UK cleaning industry depends a great deal on migrant labour.
It’s not widely appreciated, but migrants from the EU are actually net contributors to the UK economy, and most employers say they are hardworking and fit in well. But not only that. With the average age of the UK population rising every year – there are now more people over the age of 65 than under 16 – the future prosperity of the nation could well depend on young migrant labour.
The UK cleaning industry also has very close links to Europe. The ISSA/ INTERCLEAN show in Amsterdam brings professionals from all over the EU together each year, and last year’s
Cleaning Show at the Excel in London attracted more people from the EU than ever before.
Would our relationship with partners in Europe be affected if we were outside the EU?
The CBI has undertaken a number of surveys to look at the value membership brings. They found that the clear majority of the most credible analyses of the impact of EU membership is that it has delivered a net economic benefit to the UK.
Paul Drechsler, President of the CBI said: “A British exit from Europe will hit economic growth and could lead to years of uncertainty.”
Of course, to counter that, politicians from the ‘out’ campaign will say they have their own set of statistics which can prove the opposite.
What is for sure, is now that David Cameron has set the date for the EU poll, there will be no shortage of facts and figures; with arguments for, and against, filling the airwaves on a daily basis. It’s hoped the debate can stay focused on the issues, as it’s the most important vote the UK public will collectively ever have to make.
britishcleaningcouncil.org
twitter.com/TomoCleaning
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84