- Conference
- 2015 National Delegate Conference
- Date
- 19 February 2015
- Decision
- Carried
Conference notes:
1)That a Scottish Trade Union Delegation to Bhopal participated in events marking the 30th Anniversary of the gas leak disaster of 1984 for which Union Carbide was responsible;
2)That Dow Chemical Company (which now owns Union Carbide) has continued to avoid accountability and evades legal liability;
3)That the people of Bhopal are still struggling for justice, adequate compensation, clean water, appropriate health care, employment, pensions and human dignity.
Conference resolves:
a)To continue and further develop links with the International Campaign for Justice in Bhopal, the Bhopal Medical Appeal and Scottish Friends of Bhopal;
b)To exert pressure on UK, Indian and US governments to take action to bring Dow Chemical to accept responsibility for the disaster;
c)To exert pressure on the Indian government to provide adequate health care, employment opportunities and pensions for people affected by the disaster;
d)To encourage trade union branches and individual trade union members to support the Bhopal Medical Appeal in its work to provide health and rehabilitation care in Bhopal.
Conference calls upon UNISON directly and through TUC to:
i)Seek a meeting with the Indian Consul General, the Minister responsible for International Development, and relevant spokespeople from parties represented in Parliament, to support the demands of the survivors’ movement;
ii)Write to the representative of Dow in the UK to express the concerns of Conference at the company’s continuing denial and avoidance of accountability for the actions of Union Carbide;
iii)Work with the TUC, STUC, ICTU and Cymru/Wales TUC to convene a conference/ workshop of affiliated trade unions and relevant religious and third sector organisations to discuss practical issues of solidarity such as those listed in this motion.
