AMWU Statement on Iran
The AMWU National Steering Committee (NSC) notes that as the workers who build and maintain Australia’s defence capabilities, we have a unique responsibility and a powerful voice in how the fruits of our labour are used on the world stage.
NSC notes we are the builders of peace through strength and safety. We will not allow our labour to be weaponised for wars of aggression that bring nothing but grief to the poor and profit to the powerful.
NSC further notes the drums of war are beating louder again, this time directed at the people of Iran following the ongoing catastrophe in Palestine. We recognise that these conflicts are not about "democracy" or "liberation," but are the violent byproduct of imperialist interests seeking to secure resources, markets, and strategic dominance.
The AMWU affirms:
• our skills and our industry exist to ensure the safety and sovereignty of the Australian people. We reject any attempt to drag our nation into "wars of choice" or foreign interventions that serve only to destabilise regions and line the pockets of global arms giants. Our defence capability is for safety and sovereign capacity, not aggression;
• the workers in Iran and Palestine are not our enemies. Like us, they want stable jobs, safe homes, and a future for their children. We refuse to see our craft used to shatter the lives of fellow working-class families;
• Australia’s defence policy should be determined by the needs of the Australian people, not by the strategic demands of foreign powers or the profit margins of multinational corporations who treat war as a growth market; and
• while we must maintain a strong defence industry, every dollar wasted on aggressive escalation is a dollar "stolen" from the social wage—from the schools, hospitals, and housing our members and their families rely on.
NSC resolves to:
• demand a policy of de-escalation – we call on the Australian government to use every diplomatic lever to prevent war with Iran and to demand a permanent, just peace in Palestine;
• protect the integrity of our work – the purpose of the Australian defence industry is the protection of our shores and our people, not the pursuit of aggressive military adventures abroad; and
• fight the cost-of-living crisis – we reject the claim that we must choose between national security and social security. We demand that the wealth of this nation be used to lower the costs of food, energy, and housing for all workers.
NSC reaffirms that the AMWU stands for peace, prosperity, and the right of all people to live free from the threat of foreign bombing and economic strangulation.
The AMWU's (Australian Manufacturing Workers' Union, one of Australia's largest left-wing unions) statement on the War in Iran.
#auspol #Iran #workers #unions #politics #uspol #trump #AMWU