Second Hand Phones for Iraq
The UK's Labour Union body, the TUC launched an appeal last week for unions and their members to pass on their used mobile phones to the Iraqi trade union movement as an act of 'second-hand solidarity'. On of the requests from unions representing workers in Iraq and Iraqi Kurdistan is the provision of mobile phones - crucial for any union organiser these days, but especially in Iraq where travel can be dangerous and landlines aren't sufficiently reliable or widespread.
But mobile phones can be expensive to buy in Iraq, so buying new ones could eat up scarce union resources. Instead, the Iraqi trade union movement has identified a way of easily converting old European mobile phones for use in Iraq. So now the TUC Iraq Solidarity Committee has opened an appeal for used mobile phones.
TUC General Councillor Sue Rogers, Chair of the TUC Iraq Solidarity Committee, said: "Rather than throwing your old mobile phone out, put it to good use rebuilding trade unionism in Iraq and Iraqi Kurdistan. Their need is great, and this would be such a small effort, but a big contribution."
Posted to the site on 24th April 2006