Al-Qadiri: Unjust Siege imposed on Syria must be lifted

Geneva-(ST)- President of the General Federation of Trade Unions, Jamal Al-Qadiri, called for the lifting of the unilateral Western coercive measures imposed on the peoples of Syria, Russia, Iran, Cuba, Venezuela, and all free and independent countries, which were imposed illegally and in violation of human rights and international law.

Al-Qadri affirmed in a speech before the International Labor Conference at its current 112th session held in Geneva that the Syrian people triumphed over the terrorist organizations and their financiers that targeted Syria while the foreign occupation forces continue to exacerbate the economic suffering of the people and workers of Syria and limit the state’s efforts in reconstruction and building the economy by plundering its capabilities of oil, gas and wheat.

Al-Qadri stressed that reconstruction efforts require effective international intervention to help the Syrian people rebuild their economy and infrastructure that were destroyed by terrorism and its supporters, calling on the International Labor Organization to intensify and increase efforts and projects directed to all parties to the production process in Syria, especially after the earthquake disaster that struck our country last year.

Al-Qadri denounced the genocidal war being pursued by the Israeli occupation forces against the defenseless Palestinians in Gaza Strip and all of Palestine, and the serious violations it is committing against workers in occupied Palestine, the occupied Syrian Golan, and the Lebanese Shebaa Farms, such as discrimination in work sites, restrictions, closure, and direct targeting, in violation of the legitimate rights guaranteed by international conventions and laws and international labor agreements.

Al-Qadri pointed to the importance of the technical topics on the conference agenda related to biological risks, decent work, the care economy, follow-up discussion of basic rights and principles at work, immunity for workers’ rights, and the importance of the annual report of the organization’s director, Gilbert Hongbo, submitted to the conference on issues of concern to the world of work and the conditions of Arab workers in Palestine and the Arab territories. He noted the need for the report to be accompanied by deterrent measures taken by the organization against the Israeli occupation authorities for their continuous and repeated violations against workers in the occupied Arab territories.

Al-Qadri expressed his hope that transparent and fair elections would be held for the Board of Directors of the International Labor Organization, thus stopping some trends in politicizing its work, wishing success for the conference’s work and reaching decisions and directions that serve the organization’s mission.

Hanan Shamout