APPEAL TO ALL EUROPEAN TRADE UNIONS

APPEAL TO ALL EUROPEAN TRADE UNIONS

Since 12 June 2004 the Strasbourg Manifesto demonstration has gathered signatures from several hundred organisations, NGOs, foundations and individuals from 22 countries, all committed to find a just and equitable solution to the Israel-Palestine conflict.

Among the signatories and among those who demonstrated in Strasbourg, numerous trade unionists, both collectively and individually, expressed their wish to see the demonstration followed up by concrete actions both in Palestine and with regard to institutions, particularly the European Parliament. The signatories include delegates from the Confédération Générale du Travail (CGT) ; the Confédération paysanne ; the Syndicat National Unitaire de l’Enseignement Professionnel(SNUEP) ;theSudéducation ;theUnion Nationale des Syndicats Autonomes (UNSA) ; the FIOM-CGIL (Italy) etc....

Responding to this wish the ‘Coordination of the Strasbourg Manifesto’ was set-up to broaden the base of the Manifesto and to encourage signatories to meet their newly elected European members of parliament to inform them that during the first parliamentary session in Strasbourg they would be contacted by members of the Coordination in Strasbourg who would serve as a link with European civil society and who would like to work with them to find solutions to the conflict.

The very real ‘apartheid situation’ created by the occupation of Palestine, by the presence of official and unofficial settlers, by the murderous and daily incursions by an army which violates all the international laws, the 4th and 5th Geneva Conventions, the UN Resolutions and which ignores the Opinion of the European Court of Justice, cannot fail to move every elected representative.

As planned, during the first session of the new parliament in Strasbourg the Coordination of the Strasbourg Manifesto and the European Platform of NGOs for Palestine (ECCP, Brussels), represented by delegations from Germany, Belgium, Denmark, Spain, France, Italy, Luxembourg and the Netherlands, were present for during two days from 14-15 September 2004. On the first day the delegations were received by the GUE/GNL group and on the second day they presented and discussed the issues during a joint meeting with all political parties of the European Parliament. This was followed by numerous individual meetings with many parliamentarians from different countries and from different political persuasions to present the aims and activities of the Strasbourg Manifesto.

These meetings and discussions led to the conclusion that there is a serious lack of communication between the members of the European Parliament and European civil society and that there is a lack of precise and up-to-date information on the real situation in occupied Palestine. In order to address this lack, a partnership was suggested by the Coordination of the Strasbourg Manifesto in the name of its 720 NGOs and the 22 countries it, with the ECCP, represents.

From 20 September 2004, daily information bulletins on the situation in the Occupied Territories was sent out to the European parliamentarians in the Palestine Delegation and to the numerous parliamentarians who had asked to receive such information on an individual basis.

At the same time, the Coordination receives reports on activities undertaken by some parliamentarians or by groups concerned with the Israel-Palestine issue. This information is diffused immediately to the many organizations and individuals in the European network of the Coordination for reflection, rapid reactions and dialogue.

During the October, November and December parliamentary sessions working meetings were held to develop relations and broaden their already significant impact.

In mid-October, in London, in advance of the European Social Forum (ESF) a preparatory meeting was held devoted to the Israel-Palestine conflict. At this meeting, a spokesperson for the Palestine General Federation of Trade-Unions (PGFTU) launched an urgent, solemn and desperate appeal for solidarity from civil society and insisted on the trade union element of such support which could develop effective contacts with the international institutions in order to end as quickly as possible the veritable ‘social massacre’ which has followed the invasion and colonization by the State of Israel of the Occupied Territories whether it be in the West Bank, Gaza or East Jerusalem.

Upon their return from London, the Coordination of the Strasbourg Manifesto relayed this request and made contact with its signatories and with local and/or regional representatives of trade unions in order to inform them of this request and its urgency.

All the reactions were positive and showed a determination to act which goes well beyond a simple declaration of solidarity which up to now has been reiterated numerous times to no concrete effect. It was suggested that both individual and common calls should be made to policy makers. At the same time a clear message of support must be offered to all those who, at local, regional, national or international level have the courage to ignore the pressures and listen to their consciences to denounce this intolerable situation which has gone on too long.

The urgency for this common concrete action should overcome all the disagreements or struggles which, under such circumstances seem not only derisory, but also disrespectful of those in the most need of being defended and whose very existence is in danger.

We are aware of the following examples of trade unions at national level which have expressed themselves clearly on this matter:

 03/04/2002, the Confédération Force Ouvrière (CFO) expressed its ‘very serious concern’ regarding a situation which was not as catastrophic as it is now.

 12/11/2004 the Confédération française démocratique du travail (CFDT), in a letter to Mrs Leila Shahid, indicated that the CFDT would like to ‘consolidate its relations with the Palestinian trade union movement’ and in a letter of the same date to the Secretary General of the PGFTU, M. Saher Sae’d confirmed ‘the solidarity of the CDFT’

- 7/10/2004, the CGT, in a declaration,
vigorously condemned the Israel interventions in Gaza and indicated that ‘the reality of the situation is a massacre of helpless populations who cannot even escape’. The CGT also indicated that the ‘European international community should react and affirm their willingness to be motors for peace in this region’.

In order to become ‘motors for peace’ we should all unite in order to oblige our local, regional, national and international elected members in Europe to stop hiding and to speak openly in the face of their responsibility to their electors, who are increasingly aware of the situation in Occupied Palestine and who are asking questions on the way in which elected representatives are carrying out the mandate they have been entrusted with.

Concretely, this Appeal will be sent out in January 2005, along the lines exposed here, to trade unions asking them to join the Coordination of the Strasbourg Manifesto and to respond to the request from the PGFTU to examine together, immediately following the presidential elections in Palestine (09.01.05), a massive and collective action able to put enough pressure on elected representatives in Europe, at all levels, to ensure that they take the decisions necessary, and which are a part of their mandate, to ensure a just and equitable solution to the conflict.

It is the duty and obligation of all elected representatives, and indeed of all European States which have formally signed treaties, conventions and other international documents, to denounce and to ensure that the necessary means are taken to end finally this state of non-rights which the ever worsening dimension threatens the credibility of all the institutions and the real representativity of each of its members.

Furthermore, each member of the Coordination of the Strasbourg Manifesto is asked to relay this Appeal for solidarity to all the trade unions of their country and to ensure its follow through with the Strasbourg group.

This Appeal is available in several languages and reactions to it will be posted on the website:

http://www.eutopic.net/coordination.

The email address is: appel_sbg@yahoo.fr