The Congress of
Sweden’s transport workers’ union, meeting in the city of Örebro in August,
condemned the massacre of Marikana platinum miners by the South African police. Below you can read the full text of the Congress statement. Also, follow this link
to sign the petition of the campaign in support of Marikana miners: Solidarity with Labor in South Africa
International Labour Solidarity Committee - Iran
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INTERNATIONAL PETITION OF SOLIDARITY FOR SOUTH
AFRICAN MINEWORKERS
Statement from the
Swedish Transport Workers Union
We workers and union
activists strongly condemn the massacre of Marikana platinum miners in South
Africa by the police on August 16th. This was a sheer barbarity and a crime
against humanity - a massacre of defenceless workers who just demanded a wage
increase. All evidence points toward a planned attack on the strikers by the
police and employer. No excuses justify this act of brutality against workers.
We call upon all international workers and trade unionists and all people of
the world to protest and condemn this barbarity by the South African police and
employer.
We demand that:
1- The identity of all
the murdered miners should be publicized as soon as possible. All arrested
workers and protesters must be released immediately.
2- All authorities and
individuals who were in any level involved in this mass killing from decision
making to organizing and shooting; should be put on trial in a public court.
3- The miners and
families of all the victims should have access to free legal defence and
judicial consultation during this trial.
4- All families of the
victims should immediately receive financial support at reasonable standard for
the remainder of their whole lives.
5- All injured miners
should have access to free and high quality medical treatment and should
receive their full wage until they have completely recovered.
6- Marikana platinum
miners were demanding a raise of wages when they were brutally attacked by the
police. This mass killing should not overshadow the miners wage demand. We
support The Marikana miner´s wage increase.
Swedish Transport
Workers Union
Örebro, Sweden, August
2012