Support the Myanmar workers putting their lives on the line

The people of Myanmar have been resisting the military coup from day one. From the moment the coup broke, in February, workers, young people and ethnic groups took to the streets in a nationwide show of anger which, days later, formed into the Civil Disobedience Movement (CDM), Myanmar’s strongest ever civil society movement. The country’s trade union movement also responded, by launching an on-going national strike. Protests and strikes are now a daily occurrence and the death toll of protesters killed by the military is growing. Health workers were one of the first groups of workers to take strike action and they have been followed by every sector of the economy, with women on the frontline as much as men. With the railways and buses no long running, the military can only travel in tanks; gas workers have turned off military controlled gas instillations; dock workers refuse to load cargo; civil servants, teachers, bank workers and garment and other factory workers’ have walked out. But at least 150 people have been killed and many more injured and detained. And the curfew is making it harder for protesters to travel to hotspots. The people of Myanmar are prepared to keep fighting, but with many earning just £70 a month during ordinary times, they desperately need our help. The global trade union movement has launched a Myanmar International Strike Fund. UNISON has made a donation and is  appealing to all branches to consider supporting the fund and help keep the...
Source: UNISON Health care news - Category: UK Health Authors: Tags: Article News international Source Type: news