I subscribe to the excellent Labour Start List server. They run many campaigns on behalf of trade unions and trade unionists all over the world. All are important. But occasionally one of these campaigns stands out as needing every bit of publicity it can get. So please do respond - and please pass on this appeal for support.

"Back in February we launched a campaign in support of six jailed trade union
leaders in Indonesia. They were employed by a company called Musim Mas, the
world's largest manufacturer of palm oil.

As always happens in these cases, the response -- initially quite large -- has
dropped down considerably. Now only a trickle of messages are reaching the
Indonesian government. Possibly, some bureaucrat there is telling his boss,
"Don't worry -- we hardly hear any more about those jailed unionists. We can
let them rot. The world has already forgotten them."

But we have not forgotten them. The union chairperson, Robin Kimbi, and the
regional secretary, Masry Sebayang, got two years in prison. Fourteen months
terms were given to union leaders Suyahman, Safrudin, Akhen Pane and Sruhas
Towo.

Their "crime" was to exercise their mandate as union leaders. They are
prisoners of conscience.

We have not forgotten them, and we will not let this issue drop.

Last week, Amnesty International called on its members around the world to
raise their voices in protest against the jailing of the Musim Mas trade
unionists.

And unions around the world are taking up the cause.

The Nestle European Works Council, representing 80,000 company employees, has written to the company to express concern over the possible presence of Musim Mas palm oil and oleochemicals in Nestle products.

The German Food and Allied Workers NGG and the Dutch FNV Bondgenoten have echoed the public call by the Unilever European Works Council for Unilever to distance itself from Musim Mas and publicly reveal its sources for the palm oil
in company products.

And the global union federation representing food workers, the IUF (at whose
request we launched our campaign) has now begun to raise money for the struggle through its International Musim Mas Defense Fund.

Momentum is growing again. A three-month old campaign, no longer "fresh", is
attracting attention. The Indonesian government is going to have to start paying attention.

Please do these 3 simple things today:

1. Send off your message of protest:

http://www.labourstart.org/cgi-bin/solidarityforever/show_campaign.cgi?c=76

2. Donate generously to the International Musim Mas Defense Fund:

http://www.iuf.org/cgi-bin/dbman/db.cgi db=default&uid=default&ID=3231&view_rec
ords=1&ww=1&en=1

3. Spread the word in your workplace and union. Forward on this email message!

In the international trade union movement we do not forget those who languish
in prisons for our cause.

This campaign continues.

Solidarity forever!"

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