Unite, Unison, the Public and Commercial Services Union (PCS) and the Scottish TUC have all called for halt to the air attacks on Libya. See the statement from each union below.

Unite the Union:
Statement on the war in Libya

Unite the union believes the attack on Libya by British, French and US forces is wrong and should be halted.

While holding no brief for Colonel Gaddafi and his regime, and strongly supporting the movements now developing for democracy and freedom across the Arab world, Unite believes the present military intervention is a mistake because:

• It risks killing Libyan civilians while doing nothing to end hostilities on the ground.
• It prolongs a civil conflict when what is needed is a ceasefire followed by mediation.
• It raises the possibility of escalation leading to military occupation of all or part of Libya, when similar occupations in Iraq and Afghanistan have shown how disastrous and counter-productive such interventions are. This could lead to a wider war in the region.
• The action has little or no Arab involvement, and is opposed by, amongst others, Russia, China and India, leaving it dependent on those western powers whose policies have aroused deep hostility throughout the Middle East.
• It stands in contrast to the indulgence shown by the government to the autocrats in Bahrain, Saudi Arabia and elsewhere who have been allowed to repress movements for democracy in their own countries with impunity.

We urge the British government to think again, call a halt to the military action and urge a general ceasefire to be followed by international mediation.

Unison:
Statement on the war in Libya

"The record of the Gadaffi regime and the serious concerns over the safety of civilians in the areas of Libya that supported the revolt against his regime led to the United Nations Security Council resolution establishing the no-fly zone. However, the intervention of NATO forces potentially risks prolonging a civil conflict and a division on Libya, instead of a lasting solution that meets the legitimate aspirations of the Libyan people."

Scottish Trade Union Congress:
Statement on the war in Libya

This Congress supports the right to protest for people around the world and expresses its solidarity with people in Libya who seek democracy and regime change. Congress, however, is not convinced that the current military action is contributing to a positive solution for the Libyan people.

Congress is concerned that the military action taken by British, French and US forces goes beyond the scope of the UN resolution and has resulted in civilian casualties. Furthermore, this action is likely to lead to further and significant ‘mission creep’ increasing the humanitarian costs and resulting in large numbers of refugees fleeing the area. It may also result in Britain becoming involved in a long and drawn out ground offensive, to the detriment of the Libyan people. The belief that Gaddafi’s regime would crumble in the face of international pressure has become less likely with each passing day and this Congress believes that the current military action has precipitated a stalemate.

Furthermore, this activity does not contribute to the development of civil society organisations, such as independent trade unions, which are required to build democracy and ensure lasting change for Libya.

Congress, therefore, urges the UK Government to:

• work towards a cessation of the current military action in Libya and towards a diplomatic solution that will allow for a peaceful transition to democracy; and
• encourage the growth of an independent civil society in Libya and other Middle Eastern nations, including support for the development of truly independent trade unions.

PCS:
Statement on the war in Libya

This conference welcomes the groundswell of resistance to despotic regimes in the Middle East. From Egypt to Bahrain ordinary working class people are standing up to defend themselves and campaign for democratic rights against tyrannical regimes.

In the past months the fundamental desire of the working class in the Middle East has  been clearly expressed. The mass of the people in the region have a clear wish to be ‘walking in their own shoes’. Their demonstration of their will and ability to take their own destiny into their own hands has been an inspiration to people fighting tyranny and exploitation across the world.

This conference also notes that the revolutions in the Middle East  have thrown Western powers into confusion as highlighted by Mark Serwotka, our General Secretary , on Question Time when he said ‘‘ It’s not that the Government doesn’t like dictators, it’s that it doesn’t like this dictator ( Colonel Gaddafi) at this point but it doesn’t really matter who comes next.’’-by so convincingly demonstrating the ability of ordinary people in the Middle East to shape their own destiny. This conference also notes that recent developments throw into question the whole approach of Western powers in the Middle East  - an approach which, historically, has depended upon propping up and supporting despotic regimes in the region.

In Libya ordinary working class people are taking a stand against a despotic regime of Colonel Gaddafi that has ruled the country for more than 40 years. They are doing so through campaigning and through active and armed resistance to the regime.

This conference supports the efforts of the Libyan people and fully supports their struggle for democratic rights, along with similar struggles across the Middle East.

This conference notes that the Western powers including particularly the USA, France and the AUK, have sought to intervene in the Libyan Revolution by seeking amenable  ‘‘partners’’ – frequently former Gaddafi henchmen – and imposing ‘ no fly zones’ and by bombing missions that have led to civilian and rebel casualties and run the risk of hardening nationalist sentiment in support of the Gaddafi regime.

This conference believes that this intervention is motivated solely by the desire of the major Western powers to present themselves as sympathetic to the revolutions taking place in the Middle East while maintaining their traditional hegemony over the region and its oil. We also note that it is striking that no similar interventions in Syria or Bahrain have taken place. This inconsistency lays bare the blatant self interest of the Western powers intervening in  Libya.

In reality, since 2003, the Western powers have been trying to cultivate the Gaddafi regime for economic reasons and are now desperate to retain influence with those who may control the country  in the future and to present themselves as a friend  to the uprisings in the Middle East -  whilst being solely concerned  with maintaining  their influence within the region – an influence that hitherto has been nothing but harmful.

The conference therefore instructs the NEC to:

1. Oppose the military intervention in Libya and publicly state that the PCS  nationally is opposed to such intervention on the basis that it has and will lead to further civilian casualties, place Western interests before those of  the Libyan people and favours the most reactionary elements over the most progressive and democratic;
2. Continue to support the Stop the War Coalition and other bodies in campaigning against the bombings and attacks on civilians in Libya and elsewhere; and
3. Liase with groups within Libya and across the Middle East, particularly trade unions, with the aim of giving the maximum level of support for their struggle for democratic, social and economic rights.