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Posted on 22-2-2003
British
Unions Will Block War Supplies
By Alfred Lee , The Straits Times, February 12, 2003,
They will do so if Britain goes to war without UN mandate.
London - Trade union leaders have threatened to block military
supplies
going to the Gulf if Britain takes part in a war against Iraq
without
the backing of the United Nations.
Rail workers would refuse to load and drive trains with military
materials and port workers would halt war shipments - actions
which would
seriously
jeopardise the British war campaign against Baghdad. Although
troops, RAF
aircraft and Royal Navy ships have already been deployed to
the Gulf,
huge supplies of extra food, fuel, ammunition and other vital
supplies
would need to be sent from Britain if war breaks out. Crews
of four
freight trains carrying war supplies to ports have already walked
off the
job. The trains were able to run again only after replacement
drivers and
guards were found.
The decision to disrupt war supplies if Britain joins US-led
attacks
against Iraq without a UN mandate for military action was made
by the
general secretaries of five powerful trades unions at a conference
in
Westminster on Monday. Mr Bob Crowe, leader of the Rail, Maritime
and
Transport Union, said: 'My members will not support or help
military
strikes against Iraq without a proper UN mandate.' Mr Mick Rix,
general
secretary of the rail union Aslef, said: 'The transport of some
war
materials has already been disrupted, but if war breaks out,
many rail
workers will refuse to transport supplies.' Union leaders also
warned
that 'massive strikes' could break out in factories and industries
around
Britain within hours of troops being sent into battle without
a UN mandate.
Mr Billy Hayes of the Communication Workers' Union said: 'We
want the
Trades Union Congress to debate the Iraq crisis, with a view
to stopping
military action without a new UN resolution.' Such warnings
coincide with
a new poll published yesterday in The Times newspaper, showing
that
support for the Labour government had fallen to the lowest level
for more
than a decade because of Prime Minister Tony Blair's backing
for military
action against Iraq.
Support for Labour had slipped to just 35 per cent - only marginally
ahead of the Conservatives, at 34 per cent.
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