A call for help: The (Indonesian) union chairperson, Robin Kimbi, and the regional secretary, Masry Sebayang, got two years in prison. Fourteen months terms were given to union leaders Suyahman, Safrudin, Akhen Pane and Sruhas Towo. Their « crime » was to exercise their mandate as union leaders. They are prisoners of conscience.
Last week, Amnesty International called on its members around the world to raise their voices in protest against the jailing of the Musim Mas trade unionists.
And unions around the world are taking up the cause. The Nestle European Works Council, representing 80,000 company employees, has written to the company to express concern over the possible presence of Musim Mas palm oil and oleochemicals in Nestle products.
The German Food and Allied Workers NGG and the Dutch FNV Bondgenoten have echoed the public call by the Unilever European Works Council for Unilever to distance itself from Musim Mas and publicly reveal its sources for the palm oil in company products.
And the global union federation representing food workers, the IUF (at whose request we launched our campaign) has now begun to raise money for the struggle through its International Musim Mas Defense Fund. Momentum is growing again. A three-month old campaign, no longer « fresh », is attracting attention. The Indonesian government is going to have to start paying attention. Please do these 3 simple things today:
1. Send off your message of protest: http://www.labourstart.org/cgi-bin/solidarityforever/show_campaign.cgi?c=76
2. Donate generously to the International Musim Mas Defense Fund:
http://www.iuf.org/cgi-bin/dbman/db.cgi?db=default&uid=default&ID=3231&view_rec
ords=1&ww=1&en=1
3. Spread the word in your workplace and union. Forward on this email message! In the international trade union movement we do not forget those who languish in prisons for our cause.
Indonesian Labour Start link: