Trade Unions
Britain’s unions commit to a mass boycott movement of Israeli goods
17th September 2009
In a landmark decision, Britain’s trade unions have voted overwhelmingly to commit to build a mass boycott movement, disinvestment and sanctions on Israel for a negotiated settlement based on justice for Palestinians.
The motion was passed at the 2009 TUC Annual Congress in Liverpool today (17 September), by unions representing 6.5 million workers across the UK.
Hugh Lanning, chair of the Palestine Solidarity Campaign, said: ‘This motion is the culmination of a wave of motions passed at union conferences this year, following outrage at Israel’s brutal war on Gaza, and reflects the massive growth in support for Palestinian rights. We will be working with the TUC to develop a mass campaign to boycott Israeli goods, especially agricultural products that have been produced in illegal Israeli settlements in the Palestinian West Bank.’
The motion additionally called for the TUC General Council to put pressure on the British government to end all arms trading with Israel and support moves to suspend the EU-Israel trade agreement. Unions are also encouraged to disinvest from companies which profit from Israel’s illegal 42-year occupation of Gaza and the West Bank.
The motion was tabled by the Fire Brigades Union. The biggest unions in the UK, including Unite, the public sector union, and UNISON, which represents health service workers, voted in favour of the motion.
The motion also condemned the Israeli trade union Histadrut’s statement supporting Israel’s war on Gaza, which killed 1,450 Palestinians in three weeks, and called for a review of the TUC’s relationship with Histadrut.
Britain’s trade unions join those of South Africa and Ireland in voting to use a mass boycott campaign as a tool to bring Israel into line with international law, and pressure it to comply with UN resolutions that encourage justice and equality for the Palestinian people..
The full motion passed on 17 September can be viewed at: http://www.congressvoices.org/2009/76-palestine/
The Palestine Solidarity Campaign is the largest solidarity movement with Palestinians in Britain – and is supported by thousands of individual members alongside 18 national trade union and hundreds of local trade union affiliates. For more information: http://www.palestinecampaign.org
The Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement aims to pressure Israel into complying with international law. http://www.bdsmovement.net/
See also:
Palestine decisions at the TUC
http://www.labournet.net/ukunion/0909/tucpal6.html
(what was actually decided)
PSC: Britain’s unions commit to a mass boycott movement of Israeli goods
http://www.labournet.net/ukunion/0909/tucpal5.html
(includes comment by Omar Barghouti)
TUC backs boycott of Israeli goods (Guardian)
http://www.labournet.net/ukunion/0909/tucpal4.html
(Guardian article includes Israeli gov’t reaction)
…………………………………………………………………………………………………
Interview with Manawel Abdel-Al,
Palestinian General Federation of Trade Unions
Interview: Greg Dropkin
Link to full script:
http://www.labournet.net/world/0905/manawel1.html
Website for The Palestinian Federation of Trade Unions:
……………………………………………………………………………………………………..
There are 19 Trade Unions affiliated to Palestinian Solidarity Campaign, representing more than 80% of trade union members of the TUC. Amongst the unions affiliated are: ASLEF, BECTU, BFAWU, Connect, CWU, FBU, GMB, NUM, NUT, PCS, RMT, TSSA, UCATT, UCU, UNITE (Amicus), UNITE (CYWU), UNITE (TGWU), UNISON, UNITY.
Liverpool Friends of Palestine work closely with the regional trade unions. On April 18th 2009, we jointly organised a Palestine Solidarity Conference with the Merseyside Association of Trade Councils, which took place at the Quaker Meeting House, School Lane, Liverpool.
Speakers were invited from unions which have been involved in practical action; the Fire Brigades Union, Palestinian General Federation of Trades Unions, Irish Congress of Trade Unions, Congress of South African Trade Unions (COSATU), and the Palestine Solidarity Campaign.
The conference combined plenary and workshop sessions, and included reports on the current situation for Palestinians in the West Bank, Gaza, and within pre-1967 Israel.
The aim of the conference was to consider organising practical solidarity action by trade unionists in the North West. Discussion included the possibilities for Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions as called for by Palestinian civil society, including the PGFTU, and also building union links and delegations.
Reports on the conference can be read here:
http://www.labournet.net/default.asp
LFoP also run stalls at the Trade Union Conference held in Liverpool, Southport and surrounding districts.
…………………………………………………………………………………………………………..
Scottish TUC commits decisively for Boycott, Divestment & Sanctions
Scotland today (April 22) joined Ireland and South Africa when the Scottish Trade Union Congress, representing every Scottish trade union, voted overwhelmingly to commit to boycott, divestment and sanctions against Israel.
This decision was based on the report of the STUC General Council Delegation to Israel and Palestine 2009. See report:
http://www.stuc.org.uk/files/Palestine/Delegation%20Report%202009.pdf
……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
International Campaign in Solidarity with Palestinian Arab Railway Workers in Israel
Reinstate the Palestinian Arab railworkers in Israel to their jobs
Respect ILO Convention 111 against all forms of discrimination at work
We bring to the attention of all workers, of all trade unions and their members, the following appeal sent to us by the trade union organisation Sawt el-Amel, based in Nazareth.
The measures taken against the Palestinian Arab railworkers in Israel contravene every provision of international law against discrimination in whatever form, and especially the provisions of ILO Convention 111 on discrimination at work, which Israel has ratified and which stipulates: Each Member for which this Convention is in force undertakes to declare and pursue a national policy designed to promote, by methods appropriate to national conditions and practice, equality of opportunity and treatment in respect of employment and occupation, with a view to eliminating any discrimination in respect thereof. (Article 2)
For equal rights, against the discrimination being directed at Palestinian Arab workers
Endorse the Sawt el-Amel appeal as widely as possible.
…………………………………………………………………………………………………..
Union conference decisions to support boycott, divestment and sanctions – to varying degrees – from the UCU (lecturers), PCS (civil servants), and FBU (firefighters)
http://www.labournet.net/ukunion/0905/bricup1.html
http://www.labournet.net/ukunion/0905/pcspal1.html
http://www.labournet.net/ukunion/0905/fbu1.html
…………………………………………………………………………………………………………
PALESTINE, ISRAEL AND THE TRADE UNION MOVEMENT
Factsheet:
http://www.palestinecampaign.org/images/trade%20union%20factsheet%20-%20web.pdf
