West Australian unions are set to actively campaign against any war with Iraq, following a meeting of UnionsWA affiliates on 4 February.
UnionWA Acting Secretary, Dave Robinson, said that the well attended meeting had unanimously recommended the adoption of a strong anti-war position by the Council of UnionsWA.
If war against Iraq commences, with or without United Nations support, affiliates are recommending that we should work together with other community groups to organise mass protest action against the war, he said.
Our greatest hope is that war can be prevented through the diplomatic processes of the U.N., and every possible pressure should be put on the Australian Government to achieve such an outcome. Unfortunately, it appears that the actions of the Australian Government at the moment are more focussed on promoting aggression rather than negotiation.
Unions WA will put their initial efforts into promoting the importance of the No War Rally to be held on Saturday 15 February, at 11.00 am in Forest Place.
We need to send a message that most Australians, while strongly opposed to the repressive regime in Iraq, do not believe that war provides any solution. It is time the voice of the majority of Australians was heard, rather than the simplistic rhetoric of Bush, Blair and Howard.
Mr Robinson emphasised the fact that unions had always been at the forefront of efforts to prevent war. At the end of the day, it is always working people and their families who pay the price of politicians' failure to achieve peaceful outcomes, he said.For this reason, we strongly support the role of the U.N. in combating
the development of chemical, biological and nuclear weapons by ANY
country.
If war does occur, though, let there be no mistake - unions and community groups will be united in promoting widespread action in opposition to it. UnionsWA Executive will meet on 11 February to consider the recommendations from affiliates.
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