We need your support: Stand up for the right to free speech, September 9th, 10am outside Aberdeen Sheriff Court.

Aberdeen Scottish Palestinian Solidarity Campaign is calling on trade unionists and concerned citizens to stand up for the right to free speech, and come along and support activist Ally Coutts on Friday September 9th, at 10am outside Aberdeen Sheriff Court.

 Aberdeen resident and human rights campaigner, Ally was arrested, detained for 7 hours and charged with “Acting in a racially aggravated manner with intent to cause distress and alarm" for simply saying “Viva Palestina” next to the Jericho Cosmetics stall in Union Square, Aberdeen.

Jericho Cosmetics sell products derived from minerals illegally extracted from occupied Palestinian territories surrounding the Dead Sea. The extraction and commercialisation of resources from an occupied territory by the occupant is prohibited by UN resolutions and the Fourth Geneva Convention (http://www.cjpme.org/fs_146). Notably, Palestinians have no access to such resources - the exclusive access of resources to a section of the population based on ethnicity amounts to apartheid as defined by the UN.

Say No to Jericho's Stolen Resources - Sign the petition today

Please sign and share this online petition at 38 Degrees from Scottish Palestinian Solidarity Campaign SPSC Aberdeen, calling on Union Square and Trinity Centre to distance themselves from the theft of resources and human right abuses by removing Jericho Cosmetics stalls from their premises.

The Dead Sea products company Jericho Cosmetics trades from stalls in Aberdeen’s Union Square and Trinity Centre. Their products are made with minerals illegally extracted by Israeli authorities from occupied Palestinian territories surrounding the Dead Sea.

For the past few months, SPSC Aberdeen has been campaigning against the stalls by leafleting Saturday shoppers and  urging them to boycott Jericho cosmetics.

Campaigns in Glasgow, Dundee and Edinburgh have resulted in the closure of Dead Sea cosmetics stalls in shopping centres across Scotland. Let's make sure Aberdeen follows!

Please sign and share widely: https://you.38degrees.org.uk/petitions/say-no-to-jericho-s-stolen-resources-1

ATUC sends support and solidarity to Unite and RMT in their 48 hour strike to protect pay and conditions for Wood Group offshore workers.

Aberdeen Trades Union Council send support and solidarity once again to our Unite and RMT colleagues in the North Sea offshore oil and gas sector who have begun a 48-hour strike today after company managers rejected an offer from trade unions.

The Unite website has the following statement about the action.

"Workers in the trade unions Unite and RMT will go ahead with the planned stoppage as part of an ongoing dispute with employers Wood Group. The workers are facing a massive cut in pay and allowances of up to 30 per cent.

In last-minute meetings this week, unions had offered to suspend the strike if the company agreed to remove their current proposal in full to allow for further consultation and negotiation. The company refused.

Unite regional officer John Boland said: “We are extremely disappointed that Wood Group has decided to continue its attack on the pay and allowances of offshore workers. We repeat our call for proper consultation and negotiation.

“Industrial action is always a last resort and throughout this dispute we have constructively sought to find a resolution. We need to look forward and work towards a sustainable solution.