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UAW Strongly Urges China to End Its Repression of Trade Unionists, Close Its Prison Labor Camps and Respect the Fundamental Rights of Its Citizens ------ Letter from United Auto Workers President Ron Gettelfinger to U.S. President Bush
(Clearwisdom.net) Below is the text of a letter from UAW
President Ron Gettelfinger to President Bush urging him to advocate for the
freedom of imprisoned trade unionists in China.
October 7, 2002
The Honorable George W. Bush Dear President Bush:
On behalf of the 1.3 million active and retired members of
the UAW, I strongly urge you to press the government of the People's Republic of
China to stop violating the human and labor rights of its citizens. I am
particularly concerned by China's crackdown on individuals and groups exercising
the internationally recognized rights to freedom of association and freedom of
expression.
China has jailed more trade unionists than any other country
in the world. Many of them have received long prison sentences for doing nothing
more than publishing a workers' newsletter or seeking the back pay owed them by
their employers.
I urge you to press President Jiang Zemin during his visit
here on behalf of all those workers who are languishing in Chinese
prisons--their only "crime": fighting for internationally recognized
labor rights.
China's systematic repression of fundamental rights and
freedoms does not stop at the factory door. Human rights and social activists,
as well as religious practitioners such as the Falun Gong, have suffered from
arrests and imprisonment. Some of those prisoners, who often have been denied
trials, are forced to work in slave labor camps producing goods that, in some
instances, are exported to the United States.
As American workers struggle to defend their jobs and living
standards in the global economy, China's heavy reliance on this prison labor not
only strips Chinese citizens of basic freedoms, but also creates horribly unfair
international competition that undermines the livelihoods of American families.
The UAW strongly urges you to insist that China end its
repression of trade unionists, close its prison labor camps and respect the
fundamental rights of its citizens.
Sincerely,
Ron Gettelfinger
Posting date: 10/17/2002
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