On Monday morning 6th of February, a massive earthquake reaching 7.8 degrees on the Richter scale struck the region of southern Turkey – north Syria, followed by tens of aftershocks and a second major earthquake reaching 7.5 degrees.
At the time the shocked humanity is still counting the victims in both Turkey and Syria, as the death toll reached 15 thousand, tens of thousands are injured, and hundreds of thousands are homeless seeking shelter in severe weather conditions. WFTU can’t stay silent about the fact that imperialist forces have imposed sanctions on Syria.
The sanctions on Syria have been affecting the Syrian people for years now, resulting in a lack of fuel, electricity, medical supplies, and industrial machines that are essential to every country and nation for their daily life. The Syrian people had already suffered enough from the war and they deserve a chance to live freely and with dignity.
Today in light of this catastrophe, these sanctions must be lifted immediately, as they are affecting the search and rescue operation after the disastrous earthquake. The sanctions against Syria are prohibiting heavy machinery and medical supplies even food supplies from entering Syria and now, more than ever, they are necessary for the survival of tens of thousands, and for rescue operations of people that are still stuck under the debris of their own homes.
The WFTU demands the immediate withdrawal of the imperialist sanctions against Syria, to put an end to the barbaric and inhumane policies of blockades and embargos. These policies are killing people that are stuck under the debris, killing the injured with a lack of medical supplies, leaving tens of thousands in streets to face harsh weather conditions, and leaving hundreds of thousands without any usable infrastructure.
We stand beside the General Federation of Trade Unions of Syria and the International Confederation of Arab Trade Unions and we support their struggle for the release of affected people. We once again call the Trade Unions and the workers all over the globe to express their practical solidarity and practical support through the launched campaigns to make less painful this huge disaster.
The Secretariat
