The Confederal Executive Committee of Ccoo in View of The New Position of The Spanish Government On Western Sahara

RESOLUTION
THE CONFEDERAL EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE OF CCOO

IN VIEW OF THE NEW POSITION OF THE SPANISH
GOVERNMENT ON WESTERN SAHARA
S pain’s foreign policy towards Western

Sahara has taken a historic turn with the
sending of a letter from the Prime Minister,
jection of the content of this Spanish governmen-
tal position, which once again betrays the
Sahrawi people and contravenes the main
Pedro Sánchez, to the King of Morocco, resolutions of the United Nations on Western
Mohammed VI, as well as subsequent state- Sahara, the African Union, the European
ments by the head of the Government and Union, the International Court of Justice and
the Minister of Foreign Affairs, European the European Court of Justice.
Union and Cooperation, José Manuel Alba-
res, expressing Spain’s intention to accept Over the last decades, CCOO has repeat-
the autonomy plan for the Sahara proposed edly condemned the continuous attacks by
by the Moroccan authorities in 2007. the Moroccan authorities on Sahrawi inter-
ests and the Sahrawi people, the violence
Thus, for the first time since Spain abando- against the Sahrawi population in the terri-
ned Western Sahara, a Government of Spain tories occupied by Morocco and especially
has officially positioned itself in favour of one against Sahrawi women and the subhuman
of the parties to the conflict, in this case the living conditions of the Sahrawi population in
occupying power, Morocco. Against this po- the Tindouf camps.
sition, the Polisario Front, as the legitimate
representative of the Sahrawi people, has This turnaround in the position of the Spanish
always defended the need for a referendum government gives carte blanche to the King-
on self-determination. dom of Morocco to continue to exercise all
kinds of violence against the Sahrawi popu-
Faced with this new, unexpected and surprising lation and takes us further and further away
turn of Spanish foreign policy, the Executive from a just solution for the Sahrawi people.
Committee of CCOO expresses its total re-
CCOO RESOLUTION
From our astonishment at this news and FOR ALL THESE REASONS, CCOO
our deep concern about the impact that this DEMANDS THE GOVERNMENT OF
decision may have on the lives of Sahrawi
SPAIN:
men and women, the Executive Com-
mittee of CCOO reminds the
Government of Spain: 4 To proceed, as soon as possible, to give
the appropriate explanations for a decision
that has surprised Spanish public opinion
n That international law does not recognise and to reconsider this position, which con-
any Moroccan sovereignty or jurisdiction over travenes all known international resolutions
the territory of Western Sahara, nor does it on Western Sahara, thus expressing its une-
consider Morocco as the administering Power quivocal support for international resolutions
of the territory. This is confirmed, among other and respect for human rights in the occupied
international norms and resolutions, by the by Morocco, and taking into account the re-
UN Charter (Chapter 73), the UN Convention commendations and rulings emanating from
on the Law of the Sea, the 1975 advisory opinion the European Court of Justice and other in-
of the International Court of Justice on Western ternational bodies.
Sahara and the 2002 UN opinion.
4 To comply with international law and as-
n That Morocco’s presence in the Sahrawi
sume the role of decolonisation of a territory
territory is only mentioned as an act of military
that it abandoned to its fate, signing illegal
“occupation” (UN General Assemblies Resolu-
and pre-constitutional agreements without
tions 34/39 of 1979 and 35/19 of 1980) and that
assuming the role that international law
it should be terminated.
obliges to assume and violating the rights
n That Western Sahara is still on the UN generated by the Sahrawi workers during
list of “non-self-governing territories”, and the colonial period.
its final political status has not yet been de-
termined by the people of Western Sahara 4 To respect the decisions and negotia-
through the exercise of their legitimate right to tions of the legitimate representative of the
self-determination, as clearly stated in all UN Sahrawi people, the Polisario Front, in or-
Resolutions, especially UN General Assembly der to reach a just and definitive solution
Resolution 1514 of 1960. to this last case of decolonisation in Africa,
based on international legality and related
n The systematic plundering of Sahrawi to decolonisation.
natural resources by Morocco, the EU and
others and the serious and systematic human 4 To facilitate ways for a negotiated solu-
rights violations in the occupied territories tion to the conflict within international lega-
of Western Sahara, widely documented and lity, which in no case involves unilaterally
denounced by international human rights supporting the theses proposed by the King-
organisations and the Office of the UN High dom of Morocco on the autonomy of Western
Commissioner for Human Rights. Sahara.
CCOO RESOLUTION
4 To remember that the social and the

labour rights of Sahrawi workers were re-
cognised in 2011. Thus, the Spanish courts Finally, we insist on our ca-
approved in Law 27/2011, an additional tegorical rejection, with no
provision that urged the Administration to hesitation, of the decision
prepare a report quantifying the number of communicated by the cu-
Sahrawi workers and the amounts corres- rrent Spanish government.
ponding to the workers of Spanish compa-
Therefore, as we have al-
nies during the colonial era. Unfortunately,
ready done in the European
successive governments in subsequent
years and up to the present have ignored
Parliament and in nume-
and blocked compliance with this Law and rous spaces in the Spanish
its Provision, which both legitimately and and international civil and
legally should be assumed by the Spanish trade union society, over
State and which year after year the Spanish the years, we call to pro-
and Sahrawi trade unions have been deman- mote today more than ever
ding without response to the failure to comply the support and solidarity
with Law 27/2011. The Spanish Government with the Sahrawi people
has the duty to proceed to its immediate appli- and their cause.
cation and compliance.
4 That not only the Spanish trade unions,

but the Spanish society as a whole in its
civil, political and citizen expressions has
been and continues to be deeply supportive
of the cause and the needs of the Sahrawi
people and that from CCOO we will not
cease in our efforts to achieve justice for the
Sahrawi cause and the recognition of the le-
gal provisions approved at the international
level and by the Spanish Parliament. Madrid, 22 March 2022

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RESOLUTION

THE CONFEDERAL EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE OF CCOO

S pain’s foreign policy towards Western

4 To remember that the social and the

4 That not only the Spanish trade unions,

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