Motion on Greece

Branch notes:
1. The blackmail and threats by the European Union, the IMF, bosses, bankers and
politicians across the continent in order to attempt to impose austerity on the people of
Greece.
Branch believes:
1. That workers and the poor should not pay for the bailouts of the bankers.
2. That the Greek people should be congratulated for their resistance to austerity.
3. That bold measures such as the nationalisation of the banks, the takeover of key areas of
industry, and refusing to pay the debt are needed.
4. That this requires mobilisation from below and a return to the strikes and protests against
austerity.
Branch resolves:
1. To support mobilisations called by the Greek Solidarity Campaign
http://greecesolidarity.org/ or the TUC or our union in solidarity with the people of Greece.
2. To reject the logic of the EU that dictates that workers and the poor must accept cuts and
poverty or face financial ruin.
3. To support the unity and solidarity of workers across Europeand the worldagainst
austerity and racism.
4. To support the campaign by Jubilee Debt http://jubileedebt.org.uk/ and others for the
cancellation of the Greek debt.
5. To support the resistance against austerity in Britain. We back initiatives called by the
TUC, the Peoples Assembly and Unite the Resistance.
6. To support the demonstration called by the TUC at the Tory Party conference in
Manchester on 4 October https://www.tuc.org.uk/about-tuc/regions/tuc-organise-nationaldemonstration-during-conservative-party-conference . We will organise transport for our
members and others.

Motion on Jeremy Corbyn for Labour leader

Branch notes:
1. That the Labour leadership election is now underway.
2. That members of unions affiliated to Labour have until 12 August to register (for free) as
Labour supporters in order to vote. That Labour supporters in other unions can register
for 3 by 12 August.
3. That the candidates are Jeremy Corbyn, Liz Kendall, Yvette Cooper and Andy Burnham.
Branch believes:
1. That Jeremy Corbyn is the only clear anti-austerity, anti-war and pro-workers rights
candidate in the race.
2. That he is far closer to our unions polices than any other candidate.
3. That our union should support Jeremy Corbyn for Labour leader as, for example, the
ASLEF, FBU and RMT unions have done.
4. Many people who are not Labour supporters will nevertheless want to see our union
support Corbyn.
Branch resolves:

1. To forward this motion to our national executive.

2. To encourage union members who register as Labour supporters to vote for Corbyn.
3. To continue the broadest possible debate on working class political representation and
how we can develop a genuinely anti-austerity, anti-racist, pro-trade union voice that puts
people before profit more effectively than Labour has done.
4. To support calls, passed by both the FBU and UCU 2015 conferences for discussions
and a unions-sponsored conference to discuss working class political representation.
Note: the UCU motion can be seen at http://uculeft.org/2015/06/they-dont-speak-for-us-the-needfor-a-new-political-representation/ The FBU motion is motion 34 at http://www.fbu.org.uk/wpcontent/uploads/2015/02/11155-FBU-Prelim-agenda-2015-LOW-RES-PDF-GB.indd_.pdf

Motion on visit of Egyptian president el-Sisi to Britain

Branch notes:
1. That David Cameron has issued an official invitation to President Abdelfattah el-Sisi of
Egypt to visit Britain.
Branch believes:
1. For two years Sisis regime, hostile to human rights and social justice, has been
murdering, torturing and imprisoning people with absolute impunity. This wave of
repression, documented and denounced by internationally renowned human rights
organisations, has left several thousand dead and over 40,000 detainees languishing in
prison without fair trial.
2. All branches of the state apparatus, especially the military, the police and the judicial
system, are collaborating to quash dissent and create a climate of terror.
Branch resolves:
1. To support protests against the visit.
2. To support the statement (below) issued by Egypt Solidarity Initiative and supported by a
wide range of trade unionists, MPs and human rights organisations.
3. To write in protest to Cameron.
4. To contact the Labour Party [and the SNP] demanding that none of their representatives
take part in any welcome for Sisi.
Statement
David Cameron has issued an official invitation to President Abdelfattah el-Sisi of Egypt to visit
the UK, despite well-documented evidence of his responsibility for grave human rights violations,
including the killing of over 1,000 people in August 2013 during the forced dispersal of the Rabaa
al-Adawiyya protest camp, and his personal endorsement of the abhorrent practice of forced
"virginity tests" carried out by military doctors on women detainees.
As a member of the ruling Supreme Council of the Armed Forces, President el-Sisi supported the
dissolution of the Egyptian parliament in 2012, and the following year overthrew elected president
Mohamed Morsi in a military coup. Mr Morsi is one of hundreds of opponents of President el-Sisi
condemned to death in trials widely recognised by international human rights organisations as
unfair.

Since July 2013, according to Egyptian and international human rights groups, tens of thousands
of opponents of El-Sisi's regime have been jailed, protesters have been regularly shot dead in the
streets, striking workers attacked by the army and security services, while dozens of journalists
have been harassed and detained. In addition, El-Sisi's regime has maintained the blockade on
Gaza, despite the desperate need of the Palestinian people for assistance in reconstruction
following the Israeli military assault last year.
We believe that the extension of an official invitation to President el-Sisi sends a message to the
Egyptian regime that such abuses will be tolerated or ignored by the UK government. We call on
the Prime Minister to rescind the invitation and demand that the Egyptian government takes
immediate steps to demonstrate its commitment to democratic freedoms and human rights
including the suspension of all death sentences, the immediate release of prisoners of
conscience and the prompt investigation and prosecution of those responsible for torture and
abuse of detainees.
The UK government must also stop licensing equipment for export to the Egyptian military and
security forces.
We further call on the Egyptian government and security forces to respect the right to protest and
strike and the right to freedom of expression. We express our solidarity with the Palestinian
people and call on Egypt to lift the siege of Gaza.
We call on all those in the UK who agree with the demands listed in this statement to join us in
protesting against El-Sisi's visit.
Egypt Solidarity Initiative
Signatures to campaign@egyptsolidarityinitiative.net and updates at
http://egyptsolidarityinitiative.org/

Motion on boycott of Wales v Israel football match:

Branch notes:
1.
The continuing oppression of the Palestinians by the Israel state, most notably recently
in the assault on Gaza in July/August 2014 that saw over 2,250 Palestinians killed, including 538
children.
2.
That Israels occupation of Palestine has seriously damaged all aspects of Palestinian
society through bombing, annexation, illegal settlements, collective punishment and restriction of
movement.
Branch believes:
1.
That we should condemn the denial of basic rights for Palestinians and call for :
for the right of self-determination for the Palestinian people
for the right of return of the Palestinian people
for the immediate withdrawal of the Israeli state from the occupied territories
2. That antisemitism is a real and appalling reality which should be fought against strenuously, but
that criticism of Israels policy and actions is not the same as antisemitism.
3. That the oppression of the Palestinians affects every area of society, including sport.
Palestinian footballers have no freedom to travel, to play, or to organise their sport as they
wish.

Branch resolves to:

1. Support the campaign of Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions called for by the Palestinian
movement and supported by the Palestine Solidarity Campaign.
2. Call for a boycott of the Wales v Israel European Championship qualifying match on 6
September 2015 in Cardiff. There can be no normal sport in the abnormal situation that exists
between Israel and Palestine.
3. Call on UEFA to suspend the membership of the Israeli Football Association because it
maintains its links with the Israeli state that practices occupation, colonisation and apartheid.
4. To organise/fund transport for our members to the protests on 6 September in Cardiff
organised by Palestine Solidarity Campaign and other groups.