Tuesday | July 04, 2006

Programme/Demands for the ‘Campaign for Democratic Trade Union Rights in Saudi Arabia’

The right for Saudi Arabian workers to organise: -  
  • Free, independent, democratic trade unions in all workplaces throughout Saudi Arabia, especially in the giant multi nationals such as BAE, SYSTEMS & ARAMCO.
  • No interference by the state in the trade unions.
  • Democratic control of the trade unions by the members including: -
  
  • All lay and full time officials to be elected annually with the members having the right to immediately remove any official who misrepresents the membership.
  • No full time official to receive more wages than the average wage of the workers they represent plus genuine expenses agreed by the membership.
  • Policies of the unions to be decided by an annual delegate conference with elected representatives from the local branches/workplaces.
  • The production of an independent trade union newspaper – ‘The Voice of Labour’’.
 Programme of the Saudi Arabian trade unions to include: - 
  • The right to strike and give solidarity support to workers in struggle.
  • A national minimum wage of 1120 SR per week.
  • The right to a pay slip.
  • A 35 hour working week to allow workers time for leisure and family life.
  • The guarantee of strong health and safety conditions in every workplace.
  • 4 weeks fully paid holiday entitlement each year.
  • A living pension for all on retirement.
  • Free, fair and equal education and health care for all.
  • Decent housing for all workers and their families.
  • An end to sponsorship for migrant workers – equal rights for all workers irrespective of their nationality, Religious sect or region they come from .
  • Full equality between men and women with the right for separate  workplace(s).
  • The right to vote for all adults.
  • For a democratically elected Parliament.
For a mass workers’ party to fight for democracy , transparency  and social justice.
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CAMPAIGN FOR DEMOCRATIC TRADE UNION RIGHTS IN SAUDI ARABIA

DEFEND SAUDI WORKERS  Swansea Trade Union Council is appealing to trade unionists and socialists for support and solidarity for the ‘Campaign for Democratic Trade Union Rights in Saudi Arabia’. After hearing an appeal by Yahya Al-Faifi, delegates voted unanimously to support the campaign, which is attempting to end the present situation that now exists under Saudi law, which makes it unlawful to form or be a member of a trade union. There are no collective bargaining rights, no minimum wage and it is illegal for workers to take industrial action. Yahya has had to seek refuge in the UK because the Saudi government has deemed that he is guilty of the ‘crime’ of trying to organise his fellow workers at British Aerospace in Dahran in June 2002. SACKED & VICTIMISED FOR ORGANISING SAUDI WORKERS Yahya was sacked because he dared to organise a meeting to discuss a response to the companies implementation of a new contract for the 2000 Saudi workers which would have meant a big pay cut. After 18 months of appeals to the labour law courts, with the judge openly agreeing that 14 articles of law had been violated, Yahya lost his case on the direct orders of the Minister of Defence!  Unsurprisingly, the whole Saudi legal system is totally biased towards big business and while workers from countries such as Australia and the UK have fully protected contracts, pay and conditions, Saudi workers have no protection and like in Yahya’s case, little chance of achieving justice in the labour courts.    FORCED TO SEEK ASYLUM After suffering from state persecution, with 24 hour surveillance from government agents, he became increasingly concerned that he would fall victim of the Saudi governments’ brutal approach towards worker activists which could have resulted in a 15 year prison sentence. A group of Saudi academics were later jailed for between 6-9 years for merely petitioning the government for civil and trade union rights! After international protests they have now been released. But with growing threats to the safety of his family Yahya was forced to urgently flee Saudi Arabia and seek asylum in the UK. Yahya and his family are presently living in Swansea. Successive British governments have had a long standing business relationship with Saudi Arabia, much of it involved in the arms industry, including for the past 40 years British Aerospace, the company which sacked Yahya. Their workforce in Britain would be furious to learn that their Saudi counterparts are denied basic trade union rights and hence, fundamental human rights.  SUPPORT OUR CAMPAIGN! Swansea Trades Council is circulating its affiliated unions as well as other trade unions to gain support for the ‘Campaign for Democratic Trade Union Rights in Saudi Arabia’. Please send messages of support and any financial donations to assist the campaign to: - Swansea Trades Council Secretary, 58 Station Rd, Fforestfach, Swansea, SA5 5AU  and make cheques payable to ‘Swansea Trades Council’.Yahya is now a member of the Welsh Valleys branch of the CWU.  If you would like more information or would like Yahya to speak at your trade union meeting contact: - Ronnie Job, Swansea Trades Council Secretary, (01792 587473Email    swanseatuc@btinternet.comOr contact Yahya directly on: - ( 07871396389 ( 07722355883Email    workers_cry_saudi@yahoo.co.uk Official trade union sponsors & supporters include to date: -Communication Workers Union, Wales TUC, British Trade Union Councils, Swansea Trade Union Council, Cardiff Trade Union Council, The Welsh Valleys branch of the Communication Workers’ Union, Swansea Visteon TGWU branch, Tower National Union of Mineworkers, Swansea AMICUS branch, RMT Wales & South West Regional Council, as well as individual trade union reps & members from UNISON, AMICUS, TGWU, PCS, CWU, NATFHE, USDAW, South Wales NUM, RMT.  The Committee for a Workers International is also sponsoring the campaign with support from socialists &  trade unionists from around the world including: - Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Chile, CIS, Czech Republic, France, Germany, Greece, India, Ireland North & South, Middle East, Italy, Japan, Netherlands, New Zealand, Nigeria, Pakistan, Poland, Portugal, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Sweden, USA.
Posted by at 04:00:47 | Permanent Link | Comments (0) |