International solidarity

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.

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.

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.

A recent Channel 4 Unreported World documentary highlighted the plight of bus drivers in Guatemala City, Guatemala. Bus drivers are being murdered at the rate of one every other day as part of an extortion campaign. One driver who got shot had been paying $40 a week - half his weekly income!