International solidarity

RMT's Council of Executives has agreed to submit the following resolution to TUC Women's Conference 2012:

With the announcement that peace talks with the Taliban are contemplated, women’s rights have apparently been forgotten. The treatment of women by the Taliban government was a contravention of their human rights.

BOYCOTT, DIVESTMENT, SANCTIONS (BDS)

In commemoration of International Workers’ Day, the Palestinian trade union movement formed the: Palestinian Trade Union Coalition for BDS (PTUC-BDS). In July 2011, the London Transport Region RMT voted by 12 branches to 1 (1 abstention) to fully support the PTUC-BDS Statement including the call to sever inks with the Histadrut. While the matter has been referred to our National Union for consideration we offer this meeting as an opportunity to open the debate wider still within the trade union movement. Join the debate at this historic revolutionary juncture in the Middle East and North Africa.

Hundreds of thousands of Egyptian workers are taking strike action to defend their rights and in a fight to improve wages.Please see below a statement from MENA (Middle East North Africa Solidarity Network) detailing the struggle that these workers are embarked on.

RMT Council of Executives decision:

That we note the resolution and support efforts to ensure donations reach the people they are intended for. We continue to fully support TUC Aid and ITF appeals. We encourage members to donate through these organisations.

Further, we instruct the General Secretary to write to Haiti Now - Haiti First seeking more information on their campaign to hold internal charities to account.

At this years RMT Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender conference, Executive member for London Transport Region Janine Booth brought to members attentions the realities of LGBT rights internationally and the equalities that British LGBT workers and people still lack.

Internationally full legal equality for homosexuals only exists in 8 countries in the world. That is that they have equal rights including an equal marriage something that still eludes us in the UK. In 80 countries homosexuality is still illegal. Of these seven countries still have the death penalty. Only recently Uganda was attempting to criminalize all homosexual acts - punishment being a death sentence.

The RMT's London Transport Region sent delegates to Egypt to "make contact with trade unionists across industries, to learn about their struggles and their progress in forming and building new Independent Trade Unions."

Click 'Read more' to read the delegates report, or download the attachment to see it in full.

The following resolution submitted to the April meeting of the Regional Council was by passed 8 votes to 3.

From LabourStart ...

It has now been more than five weeks since the illegal arrest of Moshrefa Mishu, President of the Garment Workers Unity Forum in Bangladesh (pictured).

There was no warrant for her arrest at the time that heavily-armed plainclothes officers took her off to jail, where she remains - in poor health and badly treated.

Her real crime was leading a protest campaign to demand the implementation of the legal minimum wage.

An Open Conference of Fighting Transport Unions – 31 January 2011

From the International Transport Workers' Federation

Dear friends

Dismissal workers by the Istanbul Sabiha Gökçen International Airport Investment Development and Operation Inc (ISG), Turkey

The ITF has been informed that ISG has dismissed 160 workers without following all the procedures required by Turkish law. Hava-Is has also pointed out that the dismissals occurred just a few days after the ruling by the Court of Appeal confirming the Ministry of Labour and Social Security’s decision that ISG should be treated under the ‘air transport’ branch of activity for the purposes of the trade union establishment procedure. The timing of the dismissals suggests that they may have been a reaction to the court ruling, which is favourable to Hava-Is. Therefore appears to be no economic reason to justify the dismissals of the 160 workers last week.

RMT London Transport Regional Council is supporting the International Conference Against Disappearance due to take place in London on 9-12 December.

You can read more about it here. If you would like to attand on behalf of the Regional Council, please email Janine.

The Regional Council agreed to send a letter of support to Argentinian trade unionists protesting against this murder.

On October 20 a young railway worker, Mariano Ferreyra, who was only 23 years old, was killed during a blockade as a part of a campaign for the reinstatement of sacked workers of one of the railway lines in Buenos Aires. Mariano was a sacked railway worker of the Roca Line, a university student and also a political activist of a left wing party in Argentina.

I have sent the following message of support to French rail strikers. You can read about their action here.

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I am writing on behalf of the London Transport Region of the National Union of Rail Maritime and Transport Workers (RMT) here in the UK. I write to tell you of our strong support for the action you are taking in defence of pensions.

Workers in national and local rail services in France are on strike to defend their pensions - and they need our support! All grades on the French railway system have been taking strike action as part of a national, general strike movement to force the government to withdraw its proposed pension reform bill. The pensions reform that Sarkozy's government is planning would see early retirement entitlement be taken away from rail workers with physically demanding jobs, and see other workers' retirement ages pushed up by at least two years.

This resolution, submitted by the Regional Executive, was carried unanimously by the October meeting of the Regional Council:

That this Regional Council sponsors the International Conference Against Disappearances that is taking place in London from December 9 – 12 2010 and agrees to send delegates.

That we promote the Conference through internal mailings and amongst branches.

That we request the Council of Executives to sponsor the Conference and seek support from branches nationally.

That we make a donation of £100 to assist with the organisation of the Conference.

Come and join the May Day march on Saturday 1st May 2010. The march to Trafalgar Square will start at 12 noon from Clerkenwell Green.

A book re-launch of "May Day" a novel by John Somerfield, will take place at 11am at the Marx Memorial Library in Clerkenwell.

Come and Join JUSTICE FOR COLOMBIA (www.justiceforcolombia.org) Outside the Colombian Embassy (Knightsbridge Station) at 16.00 on Monday 8th March to mark international womens day and protest against the Continued Detention of Liliany Obando, a Human Rights activist who has done nothing bar protest against the on-going murder of trade-unionists in Colombia.

A group of Trade Union Leaders will be be joined by a group of MPs in handing in a letter to the Embassy calling for lilianys Freedom.

PLEASE SHOW YOUR SUPPORT FOR THIS IMPORTANT EVENT

As part of the Branch’s efforts to encourage debate and discussion on issues outside LUL but still relevant to the times we live in, this month we were addressed by Cecil Gutzmore, a lecturer at the University of West Indies, living in Jamaica.

You can make a donation to help Haitian trade unions' reconstruction work by clicking the TUC Aid button here:





The statement below from the Haiti Support Group gives some of the social and political backgrond to the devastating loss of life in Haiti. It shows that although earthquakes are natural, the scale of their impact is largely down to social and political factors. Our thoughts are with the victims and their loved ones, and we are looking for opportunities to help trade unions and other progressive organisations in the mammoth tasks that face them.

Please see below a petition for our Ugandan brothers and sisters and against the 'Anti-Homosexuality Bill'.

A draft of the "Anti-Homosexuality Bill" was introduced by Ndorwa West MP, David Bahati on October 14, 2009.

Paragraph 3 of the draft bill sets out provisions on what it names as "aggravated homosexuality," which will incur the death penalty, contradicting the global trend toward a moratorium on the use of the death penalty.