Say No to Veolia Bid

Breaking News: Sandwell Metropolitan Borough Council decided not to further consider Veolia’s bid for the 'Waste Improvement Plan' contract. This contract was worth £1bn over 20 years for Veolia.

Sandwell Council's decision can be seen as a victory for organisations and individuals who wish to implement a campaign of Boycott, Sanctions and Disinvestment until Israel ends its illegal activities directed at the Palestinian people.

Simon Cardy/Jolyon Jones/Samrina Mir of WMPSC said: “We congratulate Sandwell Council, which has set a positive example which other councils need to follow and we would like to thank all those who helped to make this decision possible.”

West Midlands Palestine Solidarity Campaign thanks all those who signed this petition and others who helped campaign against Veolia's inclusion in the shortlist. The campaign notes that Veolia continues to provide a service to Birmingham City Council and surrounding councils. We specifically urge Birmingham City Council to revisit its contract with Veolia along the lines that Oslo City Council revisited their contract, that is that Veolia is guilty of gross misconduct in supporting activity that contravenes international law.

The West Midlands Palestine Solidarity Campaign looks forward to working with all sympathetic Birmingham councillors, regardless of political persuasion, in this humane endeavour."

Veolia owns Connex, who along with another company called Aistom, are building a tram network to connect Israeli West Jerusalem with the illegal Jewish settlements, built by Israel on stolen Palestinian land in the east of the city and the West Bank.

The tram network breaches the Geneva Conventions which forbids the destruction of property and significant changes in the infrastructure of an occupied territory.

The campaigners argued that the Sandwell Council should not assign the contract to a company that is complicit in Israel's flagrant violation of international laws and whose work in occupied territories are contrary to human and civil rights of the Palestinian people. The campaigners are glad that Veolia will no longer be on the shortlist of contractors to provide a Waste Management service to Sandwell. We hope other councils and public services will follow Sandwell's lead ot that Veolia will change its ways and break any links with illegal activities in occupied Palestine.