
Issue No 115		12 October 2001

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News

Trade Union Assistance for Afghan Refugees

APHEDA - Union Aid Abroad today launched a crisis appeal for refugees from Afghanistan.

"The crisis in Afghanistan is growing daily, with a possible 7.5 million people needing urgent assistance as many are displaced and winter sets in" said Phillip Hazelton, the Executive Officer of APHEDA - Union Aid Abroad, the humanitarian overseas aid arm of the Australian trade union movement. This latest suffering for the people of Afghanistan comes on top of more than three years of drought and two decades of war.

Donations to APHEDA - Union Aid Abroad from union members throughout Australia will be distributed to two organisations working with Afghan refugees.

� Handicap International is assisting refugees near Quetta in Pakistan, concentrating on helping those refugees who are the very old or those suffering from disabilities, usually caused by landmines.

� Merlin, a British-based health organisation is providing medical assistance to Afghan refugees living in neighbouring Tajikistan.

APHEDA - Union Aid Abroad supports the call from the International Confederation of Free Trade Unions to ensure that "military action taken against the Taliban be concentrated exclusively on targets directly related to terrorist networks and avoid causing civilian causalities ... the people of Afghanistan have already suffered extreme hardship for many years."

APHEDA - Union Aid Abroad, while condemning terrorism, also calls on world governments to deal with the basic causes of terrorism, not just the symptoms. The world community must show compassion, not just force, and must work to overcome poverty and injustice which is the cause of so much discontent and provides fertile soil for terrorism to flourish. APHEDA - Union Aid Abroad calls on all governments to protect human rights, including the rights of refugees, to provide more aid, to write off debt, and to make an even-handed attempt to solve two of the great problems in the Middle East - independence for the Palestinian people and an end to the sanctions against Iraq which have already caused over one million deaths.

APHEDA - Union Aid Abroad Chair, Tas Bull, called on all union members and all Australians who believe in peace and compassion to give generously to this appeal. "We who believe in solidarity cannot stand by, indifferent to the need of millions of refugees who have suffered so much and whose very lives are in danger." he said.

Donations are tax deductible. To make a donation:-

Phone: 1800.888.674 (business hours)

Fax: (02) 9261.1118

Email: [email protected]

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  Issue 115 contents

Interview: Connecting the State
NSW IT minister Kim Yeadon is the man responsible for enabling the people of NSW. Here's how he's doing it.

Workplace: The Enemy Within
In the IT industry it's the recruiters who are earning the workers' ire, as our special correspondent explains.

Unions: From the Virtual Coalface
Computer programmer Vince Caughley argues there is a place for unions in the IT industry.

History: Conditions Precedent
Frank Bongiorno writes that the recent events off the coast of Christmas Island recall a story once told by Paul Hasluck.

International: Victims of Terrorism
Repression against trade unionists on the increase world wide, with 209 trade unionists assassinated last year, reveals ICFTU 2001 Survey.

Campaign Diary: Week One: Get Shorty
Labor's first week of campaigning was as an effort to gain attention from a nation rocked by the telvised war on terrorism.

Economics: Global Alliances
Ray Marcelo reports from India that the ILO is arguing that globalisation needs a worker and employer alliance.

Health: The Phantom Menace
Trade unions made an impact this week at an international congress In Melbourne in the global fight against AIDS.

Review: Rings of Confidence
In his study on the 2000 Olympics, Tony Webb argues that the government and unions reached a new level of cooperation.

Satire: Greens 'Quietly Unconfident' of Forming Government
A leaked memo from a senior member of the Greens reveals the party is unconfident of winning government on November 10.

» Nauru Guards Under-Paid, Untrained

» IT Workers Flock to Join Alliance

» Freeloader Fees Get Green Light

» Stark Differences on Workers Rights

» Disbelief at Royal Commission Directions

» Abbott Flees Ansett Workers

» Union Support for ALP Climate Change Policy

» Nurses Savage Howard's Neglect Of Workforce

» Optus Workers Entitlements Are Safe

» Airports' Security Front Line Deserves Better

» Workers Rally to Stop NDC Cuts

» World Road Unions Unite To Deliver Decent Work

» Aid Groups Back Western Sahara

» Trade Union Assistance for Afghan Refugees

» Activists Notebook