UAW backs Kurdish solidarity call

Unite has welcomed the backing from the 400,000 strong U.S. union, the UAW, for the freedom of Abdullah Ocalan, the leader of the Kurdish Workers’ Party who remains imprisoned in Turkey.

In a letter sent to Britain’s biggest union, Unite, the president of the United Automobile, Aerospace and Agricultural Implement Workers of America (the UAW), Dennis Williams states, “Since the days of former UAW president Walter Reuther, our union has always taken action for peace and justice around the world.

“As trade unionists, we know that dialogue is a powerful process for dispute resolution. Abdullah Ocalan is a necessary voice in these trying times for Turkey, the Kurdish people, and the world. His presence in peace negotiations would clear a path for real solutions.”

Unite is calling on the Turkish government to stop the war against the Kurdish population and to return to the table so that a serious and structured peace process can begin again. The union is also calling for the release of jailed Kurdish leader Abdullah Ocalan which it believes is essential for such a process to have any real chance of success.

Follow the Freedom for Abdullah Ocalan campaign on Twitter.

Originally posted here.