Solidarity with the Palestinians of Yarmouk

Christopher Gunness, spokesman for UNRWA (the UN relief effort for refugees) wrote in yesterday's Observer about more than 20,000 Palestinians trapped in Yarmouk, a refugee camp in Syria. In the midst of the Syrian civil war the refugees are enduring appalling conditions which Gunness rightly says ought to concern all of us and calls for humanitarian aid to be stepped up . UNISON branches can donate via Human Aid.

2014 is UN Year of Solidarity With the Palestinian People - Make It Count

Many days or years are marked out for international commemorations but none is more important than the United Nations General Assembly decision to proclaim 2014 as the International Year of Solidarity with the Palestinian People. In the UK the Palestine Solidarity Campaign works tirelessly in support of justice for the Palestinian people and deserves the support of all UNISON activists and branches in the year ahead. Make it one of your New Year's resolutions to back the campaign!
http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp/www.iaea.org/story.asp?NewsID=46578&Cr=Palestin&Cr1=
http://www.palestinecampaign.org/

Labour MPs should vote NO to Syria action

UNISONActive is urging Labour MPs to vote against any military intervention in the Syrian conflict. Whilst we roundly condemn the abhorrent use of chemical weapons the only outcome of Western military intervention will be the almost certain inflammation of attacks on Syrian citizens and the spread of the civil war into a regional, if not nuclear, conflict:
http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2013/aug/27/attack-syria-chemical-weapon-escalate-backlash

UN Committee highlights discrimination and human rights violations in Israel

The UN Committee for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination’s latest report on Israel, released in this month, calls on Israel to “abrogate all discriminatory laws and rescind all discriminatory bills so as to ensure non-Jewish communities’ equal access to work and social benefits as well as the right to political participation enshrined in the Convention”
http://www.palestinecampaign.org/un-committee-calls-for-action-against-israels-racism/

How the world voted on Palestine

Thanks to http://www.australiansforpalestine.net/72287 for the graphic

UN Recognition of Palestine - How you can help

According to a report in yesterday's Guardian, the UK is helping the US is a behind-the-scenes diplomatic attempt to force President Mahmoud Abbas to back down in his November 15th bid to win United Nations recognition for Palestinian statehood:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012/oct/17/palestinians-urged-britain-state-un

United Nations Public Service Day

Today has been designated by the United Nations as World Public Service Day ‘to celebrate the value and virtue of public service to the community; highlight the contribution of public service in the development process; recognize the work of public servants, and encourage young people to pursue careers in the public sector.’

It comes at a time when public service workers worldwide are facing unprecedented attacks on pay, pensions, working conditions and a growing threat of privatisation. Public Services International is calling on union members around the world to ‘speak out in support of a global financial transactions tax (FTT), also known as the Robin Hood tax.’
http://www.world-psi.org/en/our-challenge-world-public-services-day-and-beyond-commemorate-23-june-2012-action-1

Only Israel & US vote against UN call for ending embargo of Cuba

Yesterday the United Nations General Assembly debated the "Necessity of ending the economic, commercial, and financial embargo imposed by the United States of America against Cuba."

CTC statement supporting the Palestinian cause

Cuban trade unionists have called on unions around the world to back the Palestinian call for UN recognition.

If the ILO didn't exist we would have to invent it

In a week where the UK Tory Government cut funding to the International Labour Organisation (ILO), UNISON hosted a seminar on its role in protecting labour rights and decent work with particular reference to public services:  http://www.tuc.org.uk/international/tuc-19251-f0.cfm