مرفق ترجمة عربية للبيان، يمكنكم الاطلاع عليها. كما يمكنكم تنزيلها ومشاركتها

Rights are not given; they are won through legitimate struggle

Driven by our firm belief that trade union and professional rights are an inseparable part of human rights, and that human dignity cannot exist alongside impoverishment, workplace repression, the denial of the right to organise, or the suppression of peaceful demands for justice, we—a coalition of trade union, professional, demand-based, human rights, and civil society organisations—announce the launch of a permanent platform for solidarity with trade union, human rights, and humanitarian causes. This platform will monitor violations, support those whose rights are under attack, and organise sustained solidarity campaigns and initiatives in defence of workers, professionals, and all those subjected to injustice and arbitrary treatment.

This statement comes amid the catastrophic conditions facing the Sudanese people as a result of the devastating war, which has led to widespread economic collapse, deepening poverty, the loss of livelihoods, and the displacement of millions. Workers, teachers, and university academics have been among the hardest-hit groups at a time when social protection and the safeguarding of rights should have been strengthened, not undermined.

In this context, we reject Decision No. (22) concerning the so-called “Voluntary Retirement” scheme and consider it an unjust and illegitimate decision issued by a de facto government that lacks legitimacy. It has caused severe harm to the job security and livelihoods of workers. We also reject the use of “voluntary retirement” as a pretext for forced dismissal, in violation of the very principle of a system that is supposed to be based on the employee’s free choice.

We affirm that this is not administrative reform but a political decision that revives the policies of “dismissal in the public interest” and political empowerment (tamkeen) pursued by the Islamist regime over previous decades. Those policies led to the dismissal of hundreds of thousands of workers and civil servants, the dismantling of state institutions, the weakening of the civil service, and the replacement of competence and merit with political loyalty. A return to these policies, whatever name they are given, constitutes an assault on workers’ rights, threatens the independence of the civil service, and undermines the principles of justice and the rule of law.

We also strongly condemn the measures taken against a number of teachers, including arrest, summons for questioning, forced transfers, dismissal, and other forms of harassment because of their legitimate professional demands. While denouncing these unjust actions, we reaffirm that the rights to trade union organisation, peaceful expression, and the pursuit of legitimate demands are fundamental rights guaranteed by international human rights principles and international labour standards. They must never be used as grounds for punishment or retaliation.

Accordingly, we declare the following:

• Our full solidarity with workers, teachers, and university academics in all their just and legitimate demands.
• Our unequivocal rejection of Decision No. (22), and our demand for its immediate repeal, the reversal of all its consequences, the restoration of all rights to their rightful holders, and fair compensation for everyone harmed by its implementation, commensurate with the damage suffered.
• Our demand for improved wages and salaries, linked to economic realities and the cost of living, to ensure workers can enjoy a decent standard of living.
• An end to all arbitrary measures targeting those pursuing legitimate demands, including dismissal, arbitrary transfers, summonses, arrests, and all attacks on trade union freedoms.
• The protection of the independence of educational and academic institutions, and the preservation of the status of teachers and university academics as essential pillars in rebuilding the state and restoring society.
• The continuation of solidarity campaigns in support of trade union, professional, and human rights causes, while strengthening united efforts to defend rights and freedoms wherever they are violated.

The struggle to defend the rights of workers and employees is not the struggle of one group alone; it is the struggle of society as a whole for social justice and human dignity. A free and stable country cannot be built by impoverishing workers, silencing teachers, suppressing trade unions, or denying fundamental rights.

We therefore call upon all trade unions, professional and advocacy bodies, civil and revolutionary forces, Resistance Committees, civil society organisations, and all democrats to work together to build a united trade union and civil front that will restore an independent trade union movement, defend the rights of workers, and lead a broad peaceful movement expressing the will and aspirations of the Sudanese people for freedom, peace, and justice, while laying the foundations for a state based on citizenship, rights, and the rule of law.

Issued by:

1. Sudanese Women’s Union (United Kingdom)
2. Alliance of Demand-Based Campaigns (TAM)
3. Sudanese coalition in Switzerland
4. Sudanese Workers Alliance for the Restoration of Trade Unions
5. Sudanese Lawyers Democratic Front
6. Sudanese Women for Peace
7. Middle East and North Africa Solidarity Network
8. Sudan’s Trade Unions Solidarity
9. Sudanese Teachers’ Committee
10. Sudan Revolution Support Group – Cardiff
11. New Horizons Research Centre
12. The Decolonial Centre
13. Sudanese Engineers Initiative in Europe
14. Revolutionary Charter for Establishing People’s Power
15. University of Khartoum Alumni Association
16. Sudanese Journalists Forum – UK
17. General Trade Union of Banks
18. Sudan Doctors’ Union – UK
19. Sudanese Engineers Union in UK & Ireland

23 July 2026