Sign up to Workers rights Consortium say, Islamic and Jewish Societies

Dear David Eastwood

On Thursday, February 11, 2010, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (“EEOC”) announced that it had filed a lawsuit against T.A. Loving Company (a North Carolina based construction company) for denying religious accommodation to several employees and then later firing them because of their religion. (Equal Employment Opportunity Commission v. T.A. Loving Company, Civil Action No. 5:10-cv-00054). This is unfortunately just one of the many cases of religious discrimination in the workplace around the world. Many cases like this never get to the stage of being heard in court and many countries do not have the commissions in place to protect workers like the USA’s EEOC. I’m writing on behalf of the University of Birmingham Jewish society, to encourage you to sign up to an independent monitoring body such as the Guild suggests - the workers rights consortium.

We would be happier knowing that universities apparel is free from not only Anti-Semitism but all forms of discrimination. We were greatly concerned when we heard about the plight of five women from Bangladesh, who formed Bangladesh’s first Independent Garment Union Federation (BIGUF), the first non-politically-aligned, women-led, trade union to be established in Bangladesh’s apparel sector which was subsequently terminated by their employees the Sunman Group.

Please do everything in your authority to sign the university up to the workers rights consortium as soon as possible.

Sincerely

Lior Sayada
Birmingham Chair of the Birmingham JSoc

Dear Vice Chancellor,

Islam, in its authentic form, gave to mankind an ideal code of human rights fourteen centuries ago. These rights aim to confer honour and dignity on mankind and eliminate exploitation, oppression and injustice.

As a result, I feel obliged (on behalf of the University of Birmingham Islamic Society) to encourage you to partner yourself with Workers Rights Consortium (WRC) - an independent labour rights monitoring organisation, conducting investigations of working conditions in factories around the globe.

It is unfortunate that human rights are being trampled upon with impunity in many countries of the world, including some Muslim countries. Such violations are a matter of serious concern and I can assure you (as a senior representative of the largest student society on campus) that students are increasingly focussing their efforts in campaigning for a just human rights solution to some of the most destitute and depressing circumstances imposed by the world’s most merciless regimes.
For example, towards the beginning of this year, nearly 400 students from various backgrounds attended University of Birmingham Islamic Society’s “Remember Gaza” presentation, which commemorated Israel’s deliberate and disproportionate attack designed to punish, humiliate and terrorise a civilian population in Gaza, Palestine. – The event was an illustration of how such transparent violations of human rights abuses are arousing the conscience of more and more students throughout the UK.

Signing up with WRC will be an additional opportunity for the University to ensure all its licensed goods have been produced to the highest of ethical standards.

“O men! Behold, We have created you all out of a male and a female, and have made you into nations and tribes, so that you might come to know one another. Verily, the noblest of you in the sight of God is the one who is most just with his fellow human beings. Behold, God is all-knowing, all aware.”
(Al Qur'an, Al-Hujurat 49:13)

Yours Sincerely

Tamour Khan

University of Birmingham Islamic Society