Bahrain  Australia  Youth  Movement  Supporting  Australian  Trade  Unions  To   mark   International   Labor   Day   this   year   the   Bahrain   Australian   Youth  Movement   (BAYM)   joined  Sydney  May  Day  rally  in  solidarity  with  the  struggles  of  Australian  workers  while  their  counterparts  in  Bahrain  were  met  with  tear  gas  and  fierce  repression  by  security  forces.      

 

 

 Inspired   by   the   Arab   Spring,   the   latest   wave   of   pro-­‐democracy   uprisings   in   Bahrain   began   on   14  February  2011.  Protesters  are  calling  for  an  end  to  the  oppressive  regime  of  the  Al-­‐Khalifa  monarchy,  a  democratically  elected  government  and  basic  civil  liberties.      Abdulnabi  described  how  trade  unionists  have  been  heavily  targeted  under  the  crackdown  with  many  union  leaders  imprisoned  and  tortured  for  their  involvement  in  protests  and  strikes.    She   invited   solidarity   from   the   Australian   trade   union   movement,   “Lawyers,   journalists,   medical  staff,   teachers   and   even   students   have   been   targeted,   arrested   and   tortured...   Please   we   are  looking  for  your  solidarity”.      Repression  of  democracy  movement  in  Bahrain  The   Bahrain   Centre   for   Human   Rights   has   thus   far   documented   over   100   killings   by   government  security  forces,  over  3000  cases  of  torture  and  750  political  prisoners.  Children  as  young  as  11  years  old  have  been  imprisoned  while  over  90  children  under  the  age  of  18  are  currently  detained;  some  of  these  children  have  received  sentences  of  up  to  15  years  imprisonment.  Arrests  of  children  comprise  approximately  26.6%  of  total  arrests    Daily   terror   campaigns   are   waged   against   civilian   villages   involving   tear   gas   and   rubber/bird   shot  bullet   assaults.  On  average  around  15  villages  are   targeted   each  night.  Tear  gas   is   shot  directly   into  people’s   homes,   usually   in   the   late   evening  when   there   are   no   protests.   Health   services   have   been  militarized  and   injured  protesters/civilians  are  often  arrested   from  health  clinics.  This  year  security  forces  have  attacked  all  funeral  processions  for  martyrs.  The  violence  continues  to  escalate.        The   Al   Khalifa   regime   and   its   allies,   including   Saudi   Arabia   and   the   US,   attempt   to   undermine   the  legitimacy  of   the  democracy  movement  by   characterizing   it   as   a   ‘sectarian   conflict’.  Whilst   it   is   true  that  Bahrain’s  Shia  majority  is  systemically  repressed  by  the  ruling  Sunni  minority  which  is  evidenced  in   legislated   discrimination   such   as   the   exclusion   of   Shia   from   employment   in   certain   areas   of   the  public  sector,  it  must  be  emphasized  that  popular  calls  for  democracy  are  not  sectarian  in  nature.    

 Sectarianism  and  the  working  class  in  Bahrain  It   is   the   Al   Khalifa   regime   who   has   a   history   of   employing   sectarian   tactics   to   fragment   Bahrain’s  working   class   not   the   other  way   around.   For   example,   the  Al   Bander   Report,   published   by   the   Gulf  

Similarly,   on  October   1,   BAYM  would   like  to  extend  solidarity  to  workers  in  NSW,  SA  and   ACT   and   support   their   calls   for  improved  working  conditions.  Recognizing  the   importance   of   sharing   experiences   of  struggle,   BAYM   would   like   to   inform   the  Australian   trade   union   movement   of   the  challenges   currently   facing   workers   in  Bahrain.    Addressing   Sydney’s   May   Day   rally,  Bahraini   refugee   and   journalist   Zainab  Abdulnabi  said,    “3000  people  have  been  dismissed   from   their   jobs   [in   Bahrain]  just   because   they   participated   in   [pro-­‐democracy]  protests”.      

BAYM  joins  World  Refugee  Day  Rally  in  Sydney,  24  June  2012.      Photo  by  carlorighini.com  

Centre   for   Democratic   Development   in   2006,   implicated   the   government   in   a   policy   of   social  engineering  whereby   the  unnecessary  migration  of   foreign  Sunni  workers  was   increased   in  order   to  reduce  the  Shia  majority  in  workplaces.  This  has  resulted  in  serious  employment  problems  for  native  Bahrainis  and  serves  as  a  divisive  tactic  to  prevent  coordinated  industrial  action.  

 Furthermore,   Shia   citizens   are   excluded   from  employment   in   the  Bahraini  military,   police   force   and  intelligence  agency.  Shia  citizens  cannot  buy   land  or  houses   in  48%  of   the  country  and   in  Shia  areas  checkpoints  and  random  military  searches  are  the  norm.  “Welcome  to  Arab  apartheid‟  has  become  a  common  piece  of  graffiti  in  Bahrain.    Bahraini  Trade  Unions  and  Strike  calls  in  the  2011  uprising  The   General   Federation   of   Bahraini   Trade   Unions   (GFBTU)   brings   together   70   trade   unions   and  represents   around   20,000   workers.   Two   days   following   the   government   crackdown   on   protests   in  Manama  on  February  17  2011,   the  GFBTU  called   for   a   general   strike,   demanding   the  withdrawal  of  security  forces.    As  part  of  the  crackdown,  schools  were  raided  and  students  targeted  by  security  forces  provoking  the  Bahraini  Teachers’  Association   (BTA)   to   issue   a   similar   statement   and   call   a   strike  demanding   for   a  constitutional  monarchy,   an   elected   government   and   for   those   responsible   for   killing   civilians   to   be  held  accountable.  The  BTA  and  it’s  President  Mahdi  Abu  Dheeb  played  a   leading  role   in  agitating  for  industrial  action.    

 The  GFBTU  and  BTA  then  called  off  the  strikes  after  the  security  forces  made  a  temporary  withdrawal,  but  attacks  and  victimizations  of  trade  unionists  increased  over  the  following  weeks.  Another  call  for  a  general   strike   on  15  March  by  GFBTU  was   supported  by   the   shipyard  workers’   union,   the  BTA   and  other  unions.    After  a  week,  the  federation  leadership  called  off  the  strike  after  having  received  assurances  from  the  government  that  workers  would  not  be  victimized  for  taking  part  in  pro-­‐democracy  protests.    Victimization  of  workers  and  Jail  for  union  leaders  in  Bahrain  Bahraini  Government  promises  to  respect  workers’  rights  to  strike  and  peaceful  protest  clearly  meant  little.  The  GFBTU  documented  almost  3000  workers  had  been  dismissed,  suspended  and/or  victimized  for   their   involvement   in  peaceful  pro-­‐democracy  activities.  75.9%  of   the  affected  employees  worked  either   in   the   public   sector   or   in   state-­‐owned   companies.   Over   14,500   people   (an   estimated   13%  of  Bahraini  families)  were  affected  by  these  lay-­‐offs  without  any  compensation  to  date.      A  small  percentage  of  sacked  workers  were  reinstated  following  international  condemnation,  however,  they  returned  to  work  in  poorer  conditions.  Many  were  forced  to  sign  new  contracts,  were  demoted,  deprived   from   compensation   for   the   dismissal   period,   deprived   from   leaves,   had   their   salaries   cut,  and/or  were  forced  to  sign  pledges  not  to  be  active  in  any  political  or  civil  society  organization.  

 Since  12   June  2011,   52  unionists   have  been   sacked,   eight   of   them  members   of   the  GFBTU.  A  media  campaign   was   launched   to   harass   and   intimidate   union   activists   who   were   named   and   publicly  threatened.  Many  unions  were  accused  of  conspiring  to  overthrow  the  regime,  receiving  orders  from  external  sources  and  themselves  ordering  sacked  employees  to  participate  in  protests.    Some   members   of   the   GFBTU   were   threatened   with   legal   action   should   they   refuse   voluntary  resignation   from   their   positions  within   the   Federation   and   there   have   been   instances  where   entire  boards  of  directors  or  a  majority  of  them  were  dismissed  due  to  their  participation  in  union  activities.      Rula  al-­‐Saffar,  President  of  Bahrain  Nursing  Society,  was  arrested  and  tortured   for   five  months   last  year  alongside  19  other  medics.  Their  crime  was  to  treat  injured  protesters.    

 

 

 Mahdi   Abu   Deeb,   President   of   Bahrain   Teachers’   Association   was   arrested   alongside   other   union  leaders   for   organizing   a   strike.   Abu  Deeb   and   other   teachers  were   sentenced   by   a  military   court   to  between  three  and  ten  years  imprisonment.      On  12  February,  2012  Abu  Deeb  started  a  hunger  strike  calling  for  the  release  of  all  political  prisoners.  The  International  Trade  Union  Confederation  estimates  that  hundreds  of  teachers  who  participated  in  strikes  and  demonstrations  have  been  dismissed  or  targeted  for  other  retaliation  by  the  government.    

 Abu   Deeb,   alongside   Jalila   Al-­‐Salman   (Vice-­‐President   of   BTA),   will   appear   in   the   appeal   court   on  October  21  2012.  Education  International  alongside  Laborstart  have  waged  an  international  campaign  of   solidarity   calling   for   immediate   release   of   all   imprisoned   teachers   and   demanding   that   Bahraini  authorities  respect  rights  to  peaceful  assembly,  fair  trial  and  freedom  of  expression.  

 Bahraini  refugees  in  Australia  were  sacked  and  persecuted    

 

 “What  crime  had  I  committed  to  be  detained?  I  was  fleeing  prison  in  my  country  then  I  was  put  in  prison  here.  What  had  I  done  wrong?  I  had  the  right  to  come  to  this  country  because  my  life  was  in  danger.  Everybody  has  the  right  to  live!”.  To  listen  to  full  interview,  click  here.        BAYM  strongly   advocates   against   the   criminalization  of   asylum  seekers   in  Australia   and   calls   for   an  immediate   end   to   mandatory   detention,   deportations   and   offshore   processing.   Refugees   must   be  welcomed  with  a  strong  understanding  of  the  contexts  of  violence  and  dispossession  that  have  forced  

 In  a  detailed  interview  she  described,  “My  detention  is  similar   to   all   other   people’s   detention.   The   torture  starts   from   5pm   till   3am.   We   were   deprived   from  sleeping,  we  were  beaten,  we  were  electrocuted,  we  were   sexually   harassed,   threatened   with   rape...  Then  they  take  you  back  to  your  cell  and  ask  you  to  sing  the  national  anthem”.      Whilst   Al-­‐Saffar   and   nine   of   her   colleagues   were  acquitted  of  all  charges  last  June,  three  medics  remain  in  prison  and  28  are  yet  to   face  court.  Health  services  are   still   under  military   control,   forcing   people   to   rely  on   home   clinics   staffed   by   first   aiders   trained   by   the  Bahrain  Nursing  Society.      

Many   BAYM   members   are   refugees   who  gained  asylum  in  Australia  following  the  2011  crackdown.      Abdulelah  Al-­‐Hubaishi  (pictured  on  the  left),  a  34   year   old   civil   engineer   and   father   of   two,  said:   “I   was   sacked   from   my   job   as   a   civil  engineer   along   with   twenty   other  colleagues   because   of  my   protest   activities  in   Bahrain.   I   was   in   danger   of   being  arrested  and  tortured”.    He   continued,   “When   I   arrived   at   the  Australian  border,   immigration  scolded  me  and   said   I   should   not   have   protested   for  democracy   in   my   country.   I   was   sent   to  Villawood  detention  center.    BAYM  joins  World  Refugee  Day  Rally  in  Sydney,  24  June  2012.  

Rula  Al-­‐Saffar,  pictured  third  from  the  left,  with  colleagues  in  Manama,  Bahrain  

them  to  seek  asylum  in  the  first  place.    

BAYM  Calls  for  Solidarity  from  Australian  Trade  Union  Movement  In  April  this  year,  the  NSW  Upper  House  unanimously  passed  resolutions  of  solidarity  with  Bahrain’s  pro-­‐democracy  movement.  BAYM  is  preparing  similar  motions  for  the  Australian  Federal  Parliament.      Through   the   resolutions   below,   BAYM   also   seeks   to   develop   meaningful   relationships   with   trade  unions   to   begin   building   a   bridge   of   communication   between   the   Australian   and   Bahraini   workers  movement.  BAYM  requests  that  the  following  resolutions  be  presented  to  union  members  meetings:    Resolutions  in  Solidarity  with  Bahraini  workers  and  BAYM  1.This  branch  notes  the  continuing  protests  in  Bahrain  for  democracy  and  social  justice.  We  recognize  and  support  the  Bahraini  people’s  demands  for  a  fully  democratic  government,  freedom  of  speech  and  assembly,  an  independent  judiciary,  free  and  independent  trade  unions,  and  basic  social  rights  such  as  a  living  wage,  affordable  housing  and  secure  employment.    2.This  branch   further  notes   the  wrongful   imprisonment  and   torture  of  ordinary  Bahrainis,   including  medics,  teachers  and  academics,  merely  for  protesting  for  basic  democratic  rights  and  treating  injured  protesters.    3.This   branch   also   notes   the   failure   of   the   Australian   government   to   take   effective   and  meaningful  action  in  support  of  democracy  and  human  rights  in  Bahrain.    4.This  branch  therefore  calls  for:    

a. The  immediate  release  of,  and  dropping  of  all  charges  against,  all  those  imprisoned  for  protesting  for  democracy  and  social  justice  in  Bahrain.  

b. The  reinstatement  of,  and  full  compensation  for  all  workers  dismissed  unfairly  because  of  their  involvement  in  the  pro-­‐democracy  movement.    

c. The   recognition  of   full   rights   for  Bahraini  workers   to   freely  associate  and   form   trade  unions,  as  according  to  International  Labor  conventions.    

d. The   Australian   Federal   Parliament   to   pass   BAYM   resolutions   in   solidarity   with  Bahrain’s   pro-­‐democracy  movement   and   to   call   for   the   immediate   instatement   of   a  democratically  elected  civilian  government  in  Bahrain.  

e. The   Australian   trade   union   movement,   and   in   particular   the   education   and   health  unions,  to  organize  a  campaign  of  solidarity  with  the  imprisoned  medics,  teachers  and  other  political  prisoners  in  Bahrain.  In  particular  to  express  solidarity  with  Mahdi  Abu  Deeb  and  Jalila  Al  Salman  (BTA)  on  October  21  2012  when  they  face  the  appeal  court.    

 5.This  branch  further  resolves:    

a. To  send  a  message  of  solidarity  to  workers  in  Bahrain.  b. Invite  a  BAYM  representative  to  address  union  members  meetings  c. To  circulate  information  about  the  situation  in  Bahrain  amongst  our  members  and  

publish  relevant  articles  in  upcoming  union  publications.  d. To  affiliate  in  solidarity  with  the  Bahraini  Australian  Youth  Movement    e. To   write   to   Minister   for   Foreign   Affairs   Bob   Carr   demanding   that   the   Australian  

Government  place  political  pressure  on  the  US  and  UK  to  end  arms  sales  to  Bahrain  and  demand  the  immediate  release  of  all  political  prisoners  and  reinstatement  of  all  dismissed  workers.      

f. To  reiterate  BAYM  calls  for:  Australians  to  understand  the  contexts  of  violence  that  force  people  to  seek  asylum,  an  end  to  mandatory  detention,  an  end  to  deportations  and  an  end  to  offshore  processing.  Refugee  policy  must  be  developed  in  accordance  with  Australia’s  obligations  under  the  UN  Refugee  Convention.        

In  Solidarity,    Bahrain  Australian  Youth  Movement  (Contact:  Abdulelah  Al’hubaishi  0452  211  581)