Time for PCS to have a proper International policy

One of the problems having a union dominated by the Socialist Party and the SWP is that they manage to skew not only domestic policy away from proper trade unionism with their private agendas, but it also affects every  other aspect of the work that PCS undertakes. International work in particular is distorted by the Marxist agenda.

Hence the PCS website states that Palestinian solidarity work is "central" to the unions international work. In practise this means prioritising the work of the so-called Palestine Solidarity Campaign, an organisation that generally takes the line of the terrorist Hamas organisation. Why?

If PCS as a union wishes to intervene effectively in difficult international issues then the starting point for its' work must be solidarity with other Trade Unions around the world. Only this way can we assist our brothers and sisters in other countries overcome conflicts and bring together working men and women on both sides of such divides.

The problems don't end there, PCS backs the Cuba Solidarity Campaign which supports the Cuban Government who do not allow free trade unions in their country. PCS also backs Hugo Chavez in Venezuela who is on record as saying that trade unions are not necessary for his "revolution".

At the same time real trade unionists who need our support like the Korean Government Employees Union (KGEU) whose leader is in hospital following a hunger strike is ignored by PCS.

A disgraceful state of affairs.

Labourstart has been pushing this and the fight for Mexican workers union rights in campaigns over the last few weeks, but PCS leaders remain silent, preferring to commemorate the failure of Militant in Liverpool 30 years ago. Over the coming year I will be covering these important issues both on this blog and my PCS e-mail lists as part of a campaign to win PCS back to proper international Trade Union work.

As a start I would like to draw your attention to the following three stories:

 Public Services International

On 25th February the new Korean President Park Guenhye will take office. Let’s make sure that she will not forget this day! PSI calls upon President-elect Park Guenhye to commit to the basic human and labour rights that public workers are entitled to, to recognize the KGEU and to reinstate the dismissed workers. This would be a signal of hope that would pave the way for a renewed dialogue and normalization of labour relations in the public sector in Korea.

Continued at: http://www.world-psi.org/en/south-korea-world-watching





 Trade Unions Linking Israel & Palestine

According to this report in L’Express, the general secretary of the French national trade union centre CGT, Bernard Thibault, has visited Palestine and Israel.  In the course of his visit, Thibault, who is expected to step down from his role in March, will meet with leaders of the Palestine General Federation of Trade Unions as well as the Histadrut in Israel.

Thibault expressed his full support for an independent Palestinian state side by side with Israel.

Continued at: http://www.tuliponline.org/?p=4234

Harry's Place

Cuba: A Human Rights story:

Yoani Sanchez arrives in Brazil

Gene, February 19th 2013, 8:49 pm

After finally getting a passport allowing her to travel outside Cuba, the great dissident blogger Yoani Sanchez has arrived in Brazil.

You can follow her blog posts here and her tweets here.

A small group of pro-Castro demonstrators have made a point of trying to harrass and silence her. They blocked the screening of a documentary film about her.

Continued here: http://hurryupharry.org/2013/02/19/yoani-sanchez-arrives-in-brazil/