“At a flurry of union conferences, significant gains have been made in calling for a stronger stance on the genocide in Gaza, & for ending arms sales to Israel.”
By Fraser McGuire
As Israel’s assault on Gaza continues, trade unionists are mobilising to call for a halt to arms sales to Israel, as well as fighting to ensure that the union movement does not shy away from what is fundamentally a crucial litmus test of our movement’s commitment to internationalism and solidarity.
At a flurry of recent trade union conferences, significant gains have been made in calling for a stronger stance on the genocide in Gaza, and for mobilising workers to take action for our government to end arms sales to Israel.
Last week’s UNISON Conference, passed a motion calling “on the UK government to take measures to uphold international law, including suspending the arms trade with Israel, banning trade with the illegal settlements and supporting the prosecution of violations of international law by the International Criminal Court and International Court of Justice.” Additionally, it pledged to “Work with (UNISON) Labour Link to secure a commitment from the next Labour government to recognise Palestine as an independent state.”
UNISON Conference also heard from the Palestinian Ambassador Husam Zomlot, who said “We are not going anywhere. But this should be the last time we allow a mass murder of our people. For that, we must not just recover. We must secure our freedom and with it, a sustainable peace.”
Taking place the same week, FBU Conference saw an EC statement on Palestine, introduced by general secretary Matt Wrack, which sent solidarity to fire and rescue workers in Gaza and the West Bank, as well as the millions protesting internationally to end Israel’s illegal war, including student encampments. They also raised the need for working-class action to halt arms sales to Israel. Additionally, a motion moved from the Devon and Somerset branch was passed, which asked the EC to “withdraw support from any prospective parliamentary candidate who has not supported the call for a ceasefire in Gaza.”
Around BFAWU Conference earlier in June, a comprehensive statement of solidarity was issued (read in full here) which stated that The Palestinian people continue to endure a brutal genocide that has escalated into one of the most severe humanitarian crises in recent history.”
3 motions were also passed, including one which said “that the BFAWU places its support and solidarity in the Boycott Divestment and Sanctions movement against Israel because of the apartheid regime it operates against the Palestinians,” and another which read “• “The BFAWU is in total agreement and stands in solidarity with the South African government in its case against Israel in the International Court Justice.”
Also taking place recently was the UCU Congress, where there were several motions on Palestine, and – as with the UNISON and NEU gatherings this year – the congress was addressed by the Palestinian Ambassador to the UK, Husam Zomlot, who received a standing ovation. One motion made the link between the erosion of free speech and academic freedom in our higher education system, as both students and staff are punished and silenced for speaking out in support of Palestine. The devastating impact of indiscriminate Israeli bombings on Gaza’s education system was also raised, with every university in Gaza now being destroyed, and students and academics murdered. An additional motion from Brighton UCU branch emphasised the importance of solidarity with Palestine protests at universities, such as those in Columbia, New York, and Yale where students and staff have faced heavy state repression for engaging in peaceful protests and occupations.
The Transport Salaried Staffs’ Association (TSSA) union voted in favour of a motion to strongly condemn the “indiscriminate war against Palestine”, to demand that the Labour Party shows support for the South African case at the ICJ, and instructs the executive committee of the union to mobilise member support for protests and demonstrations called for by Palestine Solidarity Campaign, Stop the War Coalition, and others.
A conference motion “overwhelmingly” passed by PCS (Public and Commercial Services Union) in May meanwhile directly instructs the union’s NEC to “act to pressure the Israeli government and its allies for an immediate and permanent ceasefire, end the Gaza aid blockade, and ensure adherence to the ICJ ruling, publish guidance on members’ rights to attend protests and express political opinions, seek a formal agreement from the Cabinet Office on civil servants’ rights to protest, and continue to advocate for a free and independent Palestinian state”.
Speakers on the motion were explicit in their demands that civil servants must be free from mistreatment or investigation by management for standing against the genocide or taking part in protests calling for a ceasefire. One delegate moving the motion said that “what is happening in Gaza is not a war. Palestine has no army, no navy, no air force. It is an onslaught on the Palestinian people.”
Taking place earlier in the year, the National Education Union Conference resisted pressure from the Tory Government to pass strong policy on Palestine, saying that “The siege of Gaza, and the collective punishment of its people, must end immediately” adding, “Israel’s hard-right, racist government is the main driver of conflict, violence and war.” It then called on Britain to stop “being an enabler of Israel’s apartheid policies”, while an amendment was passed stating that “attempts to clamp down on the right to protest and discuss the issue must be opposed.”
At the national conference of the Prospect trade union earlier this month, a motion calling for the union’s national executive to lobby the UK government to restrict arms sales to Israel was passed by a majority of delegates. The motion had been proposed by the Tech Workers Branch, and stated that the NEC should use the existing legal framework as means to pressure the government into restricting arms sales. A second motion to the conference which went further and called for a total end to the sale of arms to Israel was voted down. Prospect, like Unite and the GMB, represents workers across a number of industries including those in the defence sector, and movement on adopting stronger stances on ending arms sales to Israel shows increasing calls for a bolder internationalist stance. and that our mass movement for Palestine is shaking up the whole of the labour movement.
The campaigns for stronger stances in unions such as these will no doubt continue alongside the struggle to make the new Starmer-led Government shift its position on Palestine – the position of the Labour Party’s frontbench does clearly not represent that of the majority of the labour movement.
Organising workers across all sectors against the ongoing genocide in Gaza is crucial for ensuring that the broader labour movement is firmly for internationalist principles, and the aforementioned positions of so many unions clearly reflect the view of the overwhelming majority of workers in this country. Although we now face far more restrictive anti-trade union laws, it is also important to remember the history of international solidarity and victories of workers in defence- such as the 1974 Rolls Royce workers strike against the Pinochet coup in Chile- a strike which successfully grounded half the Chilean air force for four years.
Solidarity forever – free Palestine!
- Fraser McGuire is the Chair of East Midlands Unite Hospitality and an organiser for Arise: A Festival Of Left Ideas. You can follow him on Twitter and Instagram.
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