Union solidarity with
Timor
Australian trade unions unions are starting to discuss solidarity with the East Timorese nation's fight to decide its own future, writes Jon Land.
At the end of April, aircraft maintenance workers' delegates at the Qantas Jet Base in Sydney resolved to hold a stop-work meeting to consider refusing to work on ndonesian aircraft when the first such plane requests servicing.
The Northern Territories Trades and Labor Council voted to support East Timorese self-determination and a transition to independence. It applauded the East Timorese people's perseverance in their struggle, and called for the immediate disarming of the Indonesian army sponsored militia, the release of all East Timorese political prisoners and the withdrawal of the Indonesian troops by a United Nations monitoring body.
The resolution also condemned the Australian government's response, and demanded an immediate suspension of all military ties and withdrawal of Australia's de jure recognition of Indonesian sovereignty over East Timor. It called on "all unions and the ACTU to immediately impose economic bans on all trade and commercial enterprises related to Indonesia", and proposed to offer support as requested by the East Timorese to rebuild their lives.
Unions in the state of Victoria unions are discussing cutting postal, telecommunication, airline and shipping links. Leigh Hubbard, secretary of the Victorian Trades Hall Council, said the unions hoped to play "one small part in building public pressure, public debate [and] public awareness" about the Howard government's support for the repressive Indonesian regime.
On April 30 the Australian
Organised workers are in a unique position to bring pressure to bear on the Australian government (Indonesia's principle imperialist backer) to withdraw all support for the occupation of East Timor.
The active participation of rank and file union members in the solidarity campaign will provide important opportunities to educate many more Australian workers about the issues involved. These include the record of all Australian political parties on this question, the role of Australian big business interests in East Timor, and the centrality of internationalism in defending all working people's rights.
Solidarity actions will also allow members to experience the power of collective action by workers and help the unions build alliances with others in Australia and overseas who actively support the democratic rights of the East Timorese.
But union leaders must do more than "endorse" solidarity actions by individual unions. They must actively promote and provide resources for the broadest possible solidarity action by unions and their members. *
International Viewpoint #312 June 1999. 29
* New Zealand