Romania: National Inter-Union Conference Calls for Immediate Ceasefires in Ukraine and Gaza

On February 23-25, the Socialist Action Group (GAS), the ISp affiliate in Romania, took
part in the National Inter-Union Conference in Craiova. Under the slogan ‘Independent
trade unions, the last bastion of democracy’, trade unionists from Romania and other
European countries met to discuss the current geopolitical developments and affirm an
independent antiwar position.
We publish the statement of the conference below.
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On February 23-25, the National Inter-Union Conference was held in Craiova, with the
participation of trade union representatives from higher education, scientific research,
telecommunications, health, farmers and colleagues from France and Spain. War and the
need for a strong peace movement was discussed.
The main points of discussion were the war in Ukraine and the genocide in Gaza.
Participants in the conference agreed that the war in Ukraine is due to the clash between
the imperialist interests of Russia and the USA. The ‘defensive’ NATO alliance insists on a
full-scale conflict in Ukraine and rejects any peace efforts.
The victims are always the workers, the ordinary people, not only in devastated and
indebted Ukraine but also in the NATO countries, who are suffering on two levels, through
the economic crises which followed the outbreak of the conflict and through the funding of
the war at the expense of essential public services: health and education. The war only
brings immediate profit to the military-industrial complex, and globally it exacerbates the
crises in the capitalist system affecting many millions of people. Even before the outbreak
of the conflict, the organizations involved have been advocating diplomatic solutions and
subsequently peace. Now, two years into Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, peace is missing
from the vocabulary of officials. There is even more need for a mass movement for peace.
The Israeli genocide against the Palestinian people, backed mainly by the US, the UK and
most of the European Union, is a big question mark over the direction in which these
governments are pushing humanity. The participants strongly call for an immediate
withdrawal of Israeli troops, an immediate ceasefire, an immediate halt to the bombing and
an immediate removal of the blockade imposed on the Gaza Strip.
Participants at the National Inter-Union Conference in Craiova are calling for an immediate
ceasefire in these conflict zones, a return of the belligerent parties to the table of
negotiations and immediate peace in Europe.