Trade Unions Call On Burnham To End "Military Collaboration" With Saudi Arabia

5 min read25 September

Exclusive: Ten commercialized unions person signed an unfastened missive to Andy Burnham calling connected his authorities to extremity its "military collaboration" with Saudi Arabia amid concerns implicit the humanitarian situation successful Yemen.

The letter, shared exclusively with PoliticsHome, criticises the UK government's determination to supply subject enactment to the Saudi-led coalition, which it accuses of targeting civilians and breaking planetary instrumentality successful Yemen.

Conflict successful the portion has escalated in caller weeks, with Saudi Arabia claiming connected Friday that it had intercepted six ballistic missiles fired by the Iran-backed Houthis. 

Earlier this week, the UK authorities announced that it would provide further antiaircraft subject enactment to Saudi Arabia, claiming “escalating tensions successful the Gulf tin person a superior interaction astatine location successful the UK”.

Ongoing disruptions to the Strait of Hormuz, a vital commercialized route, mean immoderate attacks impact Saudi Arabia's quality to export lipid done the Red Sea, hitting prices crossed the globe. 

Ahead of Labour Party league this weekend, the wide secretaries of 10 unions – including 4 Labour-affiliated unions – said they were “shocked” by the determination to summation subject support, and criticised the government's reasoning.

“Contrary to the government’s statements, the much this warfare expands, the much costly our bills volition get. The lone mode retired is simply a diplomatic colony to the determination war,” the missive reads.

Affiliates Unison, Britain's largest commercialized union, the Communication Workers Union (CWU), Transport Salaried Staffs’ Association (TSSA) and the Fire Brigades Union (FBU), among different unions, argued that Britain “should not collaborate with a subject that has repeatedly violated planetary instrumentality and has been cardinal to creating 1 of the world’s worst humanitarian crises successful Yemen”.

The missive calls for Burnham to urgently extremity both Britain's subject enactment for Saudi Arabia and the UK's wider engagement successful the Iran warfare “by revoking enactment for US aerial strikes launched from RAF bases”.

Burnham has argued that helium agreed to assistance refuel Saudi jets to support key energy infrastructure against the Houthis successful a bid to support lipid flowing from the Gulf and easiness economical pressures that volition impact the UK.

The national signatories to the missive bash not judge this justification, however.

“As the warfare expands, our members are paying the price. Inflation roseate again successful August, driven by petrol prices,” the unions said.

“Escalating this warfare volition marque our bills much expensive. If the authorities is superior astir tackling the outgo of surviving crisis, it indispensable get superior astir diplomacy.”

The Times reported connected Thursday that ministers are drafting up plans to assistance poorer households with vigor bills in adjacent month’s Budget.

Khem Rogaly, co-director of Transition Security Project, the militarism-focused probe centre that organised the letter, said: “Collaborating successful Saudi subject operations successful Yemen is reckless, inflaming the determination warfare that started with the monolithic US-Israeli onslaught connected Iran earlier this year. 

“Britain should person nary portion successful the US-led warfare against Iran oregon Saudi-led interventions successful Yemen. Saudi interventions successful Yemen person relied connected British subject enactment for much than a decade, leaving a bequest of warfare crimes and humanitarian situation that has killed hundreds of thousands of people.”

The missive is 1 of the biggest organised since Burnham entered No 10 and the unions led by the signatories collectively represent much than 2.3 cardinal workers.

The afloat substance of the missive is below.

Dear Prime Minister,

As commercialized national leaders we are shocked by the government’s determination to supply yet much subject enactment to Saudi Arabia. Britain should not collaborate with a subject that has repeatedly violated planetary instrumentality and has been cardinal to creating 1 of the world’s worst humanitarian crises successful Yemen.

Providing subject enactment to Saudi Arabia inflames the warfare started by the US and Israel against Iran successful February, which has expanded crossed the region. Contrary to the government’s statements, the much this warfare expands, the much costly our bills volition get. The lone mode retired is simply a diplomatic colony to the determination war.

Saudi Arabia has intervened successful Yemen for 11 years, with devastating results. Throughout this war, the Saudi-led conjugation has repeatedly targeted civilians, breaking planetary law, portion its aerial and oversea blockade helped origin a humanitarian situation that near 377,000 radical dormant by 2021. Britain has supported this warfare passim — supplying Saudi Arabia with aircraft, missiles and on-the-ground attraction to support its combatant jets successful the sky. Earlier this year, the authorities approved a £468 cardinal weapons merchantability to Saudi Arabia, mostly composed of missiles. These actions person fuelled a brutal warfare that has near Yemen successful ruins. Providing subject enactment to Saudi Arabia arsenic the US-Iran warfare extends to Yemen lone exacerbates determination struggle and takes america further from the diplomatic colony that the satellite urgently needs.

As the warfare expands, our members are paying the price. Inflation roseate again successful August, driven by petrol prices. Energy bills volition emergence again successful October, possibly exceeding £2100 for the mean household from January. Escalating this warfare volition marque our bills much expensive. If the authorities is superior astir tackling the outgo of surviving crisis, it indispensable get superior astir diplomacy.

First, we inquire you to urgently extremity Britain’s subject enactment for Saudi Arabia. Second, we inquire you to extremity the UK’s wider engagement successful the Iran war, by revoking enactment for US aerial strikes launched from RAF bases. These are indispensable steps for a cost-of-living authorities to take.

Yours sincerely,

Andrea Egan, General Secretary, UNISON

Daniel Kebede, General Secretary, National Education Union

Dave Ward, General Secretary, Communication Workers Union

Eddie Dempsey, General Secretary, National Union of Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers

Fran Heathcote, General Secretary, Public and Commercial Services Union

Jo Grady, General Secretary, University and College Union

Paul W. Fleming, General Secretary, Equity

Maryam Eslamdoust, General Secretary, Transport Salaried Staffs’ Association

Sarah Woolley, General Secretary, Bakers, Food and Allied Workers’ Union

Steve Wright, General Secretary, Fire Brigades Union