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 International
Welcome to Palestine 2012
Join us for the Great Scottish
'Send off' at Waverley Station
 On
Saturday 14th April a group of activists from
Scotland - including at least one UNISON Edinburgh
member - will leave from Edinburgh by train
to join their colleagues in England.
Together they will board
flights on Sunday 15th as part of the International
'Fly-in' to Israel which will attempt to break
the 'Silent Blockade' of the occupied territories
of the Palestinian West Bank.
Come and lend us your support.
Saturday 14th April at 1pm in Waverley Station
TUTU SUPPORTS CHALLENGE TO
THE SIEGE
Archbishop Desmond Tutu is one
of a number of prominent figures to have endorsed
the latest challenge to Israel’s treatment
of the Palestinians which highlights what
Tutu considers, “Israel's policy of isolating
the West Bank”.
Last year’s mass arrest at Israel’s
Ben Gurion Airport raised awareness of the
restrictions imposed by Israel on the West
Bank. Over 100 were held in Israeli Jails
for up to a week before being deported.
“We ask to be allowed to pass
through Tel Aviv airport without hindrance
and to proceed to the West Bank to take part
in a children’s education project there."
Israeli crimes continue
unabated:
Regular attacks on Palestinians,
settlement expansion, destruction and kidnappings
by military squads enforcing the illegal occupation.
Palestinians resist. The British Government,
however, joins with Israel to isolate the
Palestinians. When our governments endorse
illegal Israeli occupation, its citizens need
to take action.
The Welcome to Palestine 2012
Initiative asserts our right to travel to
Palestine peacefully and openly to meet with
representatives of Palestinian civil society
organisations.
Endorsements:
"We, the undersigned, endorse
the call from the Welcome to Palestine 2012
initiative for supporters of Palestinian human
and national rights around the world to openly
visit Palestine during Easter 2012. There
is no way into Palestine other than through
Israeli control points. Israel has turned
Palestine into a giant prison, but prisoners
have a right to receive visitors. Welcome
to Palestine 2012 will again challenge Israel's
policy of isolating the West Bank while the
settler paramilitaries and army commit brutal
crimes against a virtually defenceless Palestinian
civilian population. We call on governments
to support the right of Palestinians to receive
visitors and the right of their own citizens
to visit Palestine openly. The participants
in Welcome to Palestine 2012 ask to be allowed
to pass through Tel Aviv airport without hindrance
and to proceed to the West Bank to take part
in a project there for children to benefit
from the right to education."
SIGNED: Sam Bahour, Tony
Benn, Noam Chomsky, Jonathan Cook, Ronnie
Kasrils, Nurit Peled, John Pilger, Nawal Al
Sadaawi, Vauro Senesi, Desmond Tutu
http://www.welcometopalestine.info/
http://www.scottishpsc.org.uk/
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Branch International Officer
The Branch International Officer
post exists to foster and maintain links with
trade unionists around the world, most particularly
recently in Palestine, Cuba, Nicaragua and South
Africa, although there have been formal links
in the past with Sweden and Canada.
The post is designed to exchange
information and ideas, to learn from each other
and to provide assistance where possible. It
is also there to advise the branch on international
policy issues.
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Support for New York
colleagues and continued calls for peace
In the year of the attack on the
World Trade Centre and then the war in Afghanistan,
all members must have been more conscious than
usual of international issues. (see
special report)
We live in a world in which events
far away can rapidly have a direct impact on
our lives. The branch responded instantly to
the events of 11 September by giving support
to union branches in New York and at the same
time warning that there should not be a response
based on revenge - this would lower the USA
and allies to the same moral level as the attackers
and make the world more dangerous in the long
run.
Sadly such voices were not heeded
and the Branch Committee expressed its deep
concern about the bombing of Afghanistan and
gave organisational and financial support to
the conference 'Not in Our Name' on December
8.
A number of other international
issues have received our attention. We supported
local actions on Third World debt. We supported
and attended a conference on Palestine which
drew the links between the Palestinians struggle
against Israeli occupation of their land and
the fight against apartheid in South Africa.
I have sought to draw attention
to the General Agreement on Trade in Services
(GATS), a proposed international treaty which
could oblige governments to pursue privatisation
of certain public services. We have supported
activities of the World Development Movement
on this and are seeking to raise it with our
MP's.
There had been no-one in this
post in the previous year so these activities
have been build up from a standing start, with
assistance from one or two other branch members.
One of the things which I would like to do is
to build up a larger network of members in the
branch who are active on issues of international
solidarity or aid. There is a lot we could do
so if interested please contact me (if are-elected)
via the Branch Office.
MATTHEW CRICHTON
International Relations Officer
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Cuban trade unionists
visit Edinburgh
Edinburgh UNISON welcomed two
Cuban trade unionists on a visit to the city
in the person of Armando Plaza Olazabal and
William Rodriguez Arias from the Cuban TUC's
Holguin Province.
Plaza and William were welcomed
to Glasgow, Dundee and Edinburgh during their
stay.
They told of the terrible devastation
caused by the recent hurricane and the problems
caused by the U.S boycott. William, a computer
enthusiast, went home with surplus equipment
from the Edinburgh branch.
As part of their visit, the branch
arranged a lunch, a visit to the People's Story
museum and a lively and informative tour of
the City Chambers by UNISON member - and Edinburgh
history expert - John Wilson.
Then there was time for a couple
of hours exchange of information about trade
unionism here and in Cuba.
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Message of thanks from Cuban
trade union
Edinburgh UNISON's Lyn Williams
has brought a thankyou message from CTC (SNTECD)
colleagues in Cuba's Holguin province, following
her recent "school twinning" visit.
The branch had sent a commemorative
paperweight and Drummond High School had sent
a plaque to commemorate their twinning arrangement.
Much needed supplies were also provided.
The Cuban union sent a miniature
tea set as a return gift to the UNISON branch
and it will be greatly treasured. The message
from our Cuban colleagues reads:
"Esteemed workers of UNISON.
Many thanks for your gift which is so very kind
and beautiful.
We send you our most sincere greetings
from the CTC Holguin Cuba."
CTC, SNTECD.
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