Over the years dockworkers have been at the forefront of organising action to stop the oppression of innocent men, women and children the world over. The boycotts of cargoes heading to or from apartheid South Africa or Pinochet’s fascist regime in Chile helped bring freedom and humanity to the people of those countries and in the case of South Africa irrevocably changed the path of the countries life style for the better.
Although we no longer work in the Port Industry the Sacked Liverpool Dockworkers are being asked on a daily basis by many concerned trade unionists and members of the public, “should dockworkers in the United Kingdom be loading or discharging cargoes heading to or from Israel when that country is causing death and destruction to the people and the country of Lebanon”. Our answer is a straight forward “no they shouldn’t be working Israeli cargoes whilst the current bombardment of Lebanon continues”. Unfortunately there is very little that we can do about the situation in terms of direct action, but we can organise opposition and campaign against the carnage that is currently taking place in the Middle East which we intend to do and repectfully ask our international comrades to update us with any news of meetings or planned actions that they might be considering within their Ports.
In Solidarity,
The Sacked Liverpool Dockworkers
TERRY Teague, one of the Liverpool dockers sacked for refusing to cross a picket line, was staring at TV pictures of dying Lebanese children in disbelief.
“If we were still working, we’d have refused to touch any ship bound for Haifa while Israel were bombing innocent civilians,” he said.
“We boycotted cargoes bound for apartheid South Africa and Pinochet’s Chile. We lost wages because of it, but we were doing our bit and we helped end the injustice.”
Today’s trade union leaders aren’t asking dockers or any other workers to economically affect Israel, even though Tel Aviv’s murderous actions repulse most of their members.
As we celebrate the 70th anniversary of the Spanish Civil War, and the brave men of the British Left who died out there to beat fascism, where is the inspiration today?
We’ve a Labour Prime Minister refusing to call for a ceasefire because he’s tied us to the coattails of Washington’s right-wing militia, his deputy travelling abroad to fill his (cowboy) boots and an Education Secretary who writes letters to help kids get into public schools.
And as Lebanon burns, the TUC turns a blind eye and concentrates on its current big issue: a campaign to impose maximum temperatures in all workplaces.
Right on, comrades.
