On 15 December last, a representation of the Saharawi trade union General Union of Workers of Saguia El Hamra and Rio de Oro (UGTSARIO), composed of comrades Rahla Sid Brahim and Jadiyetu Limam, met with the Secretariat of the Inter-Union Confederation in Madrid. The meeting served to reaffirm the commitment of the Inter-Union Confederation to the legitimate organisations representing the Saharawi people and, in this case, to the Saharawi trade union movement represented by UGTSARIO, to the Saharawi cause and the struggle for its independence.
The relationship between the two organisations, which goes back many years, has been consolidating and deepening with the participation of the Confederación Intersindical in congresses, events, trade union forums organised by the UGTSARIO or by the Saharawi liberation movement, either in the Sahara or elsewhere. The UGTSARIO has also participated in events organised by the Inter-Union Confederation where it has been able to inform about its trade union work and its struggle for the right to self-determination of the Saharawi people. The event recognised the exemplary work of the promoters of relations between the organisations: Jaume Tonda for the Confederación Intersindical and Kasisa Cherif for the UGTSARIO.
The UGTSARIO and the Confederación Intersindical share the need to work together, with the aim of protecting the rights of Saharawi workers, especially those in the areas occupied by Morocco who suffer serious discrimination and persecution, as well as the struggle of the Saharawi people for their national liberation. For this reason, the Intersyndical Confederation is committed to support the Saharawi cause through campaigns of awareness, solidarity and mutual support among its member unions, its membership, the working class and workplaces. Also to seek support in public institutions to make visible the struggle of the Saharawi people and to obtain support for their right to self-determination, as established in international resolutions. It also commits itself to:
– To provide legal, juridical and labour counselling services.
– Facilitate exchanges of labour and trade union experiences.
– To promote the collection of materials for the Sahrawi population.
– Collaborate in the development of materials and training programmes for workers and members of the UGTSARIO.
– To promote awareness campaigns and local, national, national and international support for the Saharawi organisations and the Saharawi cause.
– To publish articles of interest in our respective territories in the different trade union publications.
– To communicate the situation in the Sahara to the entire membership and in the different trade union structures and bodies.
– Participate in meetings, forums, seminars and other activities organised by either organisation.
Finally, the two organisations call on the International Community to put an end to the Moroccan occupation and repression in Western Sahara and to comply with international resolutions, and demand that the Spanish government rectifies its policy towards the Sahara and recognises the Saharawi Arab Democratic Republic (SADR) and the organisations that legitimately represent the Saharawi people.
Madrid, 16 December 2022
