Trade Union Friends of Israel

Trade Union Friends of Israel Report

Welcome to this TUC Congress 2008 special update. It has been a busy year for all involved with Trade Union Friends of Israel (TUFI) and the promotion of peace in the region.

TUFI has been involved in a number of activities to brief and inform trade unionists on developments, politically and industrially, in the Middle East and encourage unions to play an inclusive role in supporting their Israeli and Palestinian counterparts.

Histadrut-PGFTU Relationship

In a landmark move, the Histadrut (Israeli TUC) and the Palestine General Federation of Trade Unions (PGFTU) signed an agreement in August 2008 to base future relations on negotiation, dialogue and joint initiatives to advance “fraternity and co-existence”.

The agreement, negotiated under the auspices of Guy Ryder, the General Secretary of the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC), is based on the terms of an initial 1995 agreement that collapsed due to the failed peace talks between the Israeli Government and the Palestinian Authority in late 2000 and the subsequent outbreak of the Second Intifada.

The message of the landmark agreement between the Histadrut (Israeli TUC) and the Palestine General Federation of Trade Unions (PGFTU) quickly spread through the TUC Congress last week. Brendan Barber, in his opening speech to conference, congratulated Guy Ryder of the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC) for mediating between the two federations and praised them for coming together, despite all the difficulties. He said he hoped the agreement would “carve a path that political leaders could now follow”.

The importance of the agreement was reaffirmed by Avital Shapira-Shabirow, head of the Histadrut’s International Department, at TUFI’s TUC fringe event. Mrs Shapira-Shabirow, one of the key representatives during the negotiations, told the gathering of over 70 delegates that the agreement would help Palestinian workers and improve their day-to-day lives, have positive repercussions for the wider ongoing peace process and “pave the way for continuous co-operation”. She said, categorically, that all financial issues between the Histadrut and the PGFTU had been settled with nearly £2 million transferred to the PGFTU in July 2008.