TUFI Unison Fringe Meeting 2010

TUFI held a busy fringe event on 16 June 2010 for Unison delegates attending the union’s annual conference in Bournemouth. 

The event was titled “How to support Israeli-Palestinian trade union co-operation” and sparked a lively discussion, persuading a number of delegates to speak against the negative motion debated at the conference following the meeting. 

The speakers included: Lilach Head, a Unison member, Eric Lee, from the global organisation Trade Unions Linking Israel and Palestine (TULIP) and Günther Jikeli, from the German public sector union Ver.di.

Eric Lee said that Israel was more isolated than ever before in the international trade union movement.  He cited the fact that Sally Hunt, the General Secretary of the UCU, who had appeared at a Gaza rally wearing a Palestinian flag in her hair, would be the person sent to represent the TUC at the upcoming ITUC Congress in Vancouver.

Mr Lee added that union leaders were “rushing ahead of their members and their own union’s positions” ignoring the commitment to a two-state solution and parroting the Palestine Solidarity Campaign’s one-statist line. (To read his full speech, click here).

Lilach Head said that Unison’s motions regarding the Middle East conflict called for division, not peace, and asked how Unison could be on the side of peace when it wants to stop communication with the Histadrut (the Israeli TUC).  She said that communication was at the heart of trade unionism. 

Mrs Head said that both Israelis and Palestinians should have a good quality of life and that Unison should take a more balanced approach, acknowledging Israel’s right to exist and the difficulties that workers in Southern Israel face under constant rocket fire from Hamas.

TUFI’s Director, Steve Scott, added that it was a shame that a great union like Unison was pursuing non-constructive efforts to help.  He said that it was “not the right approach, especially when there’s real progress on the ground between Israeli and Palestinian trade unions” and that it was bizarre that UK unions were calling to boycott Israel at the same time as co-operation between Israeli and Palestinian trade unions was gathering pace. (To read his full speech, click here).    

TUC CONGRESS 2009 ANNUAL FRINGE MEETING

TUESDAY 15 SEPTEMBER 2009, 12.30 - 2.00PM

TUFI held a packed and lively fringe event at the TUC Congress in Liverpool last week, titled: "The Next Steps for Israeli-Palestinian Trade Union Co-operation".

Guest speakers included:
Owen Tudor, Head of TUC International Department
Michael Leahy, General Secretary of Community Union & TULIP Co-founder
John Lyndon, Director of Development at OneVoice Europe
Talya Lador-Fresher, Deputy Israeli Ambassador to the UK
Roger Lyons, Past President of the TUC and Chair of TUFI

With the issue of Israel and Palestine on the TUC agenda there was much discussion about the divisive and counterproductive nature of boycotts.  Roger Lyons, TUFI’s chair, started the meeting saying “non-constructive efforts to help is not the right approach for trade unions, especially when there’s real progress on the ground between Israeli and Palestinian trade unions.”  

Lyons said that while UK union calls to boycott Israel had gathered pace, conversely co-operation between Israeli and Palestinian trade unions had been increasing.  He added that the Palestine General Federation of Trade Unions (PGFTU) had not called for a boycott and the Histadrut (Israeli TUC) and the PGFTU had both said publicly that they wanted to continue working together. 

Michael Leahy, the general secretary of Community union, added to this sentiment, saying that his union’s policy was “Peace First” – “no taking of sides; never more extreme in the UK than trade unionists in both Israel and Palestine; and focused on co-operation, dialogue and resolution.”  He said that “rather than division and hate” trade unionists should “foster peace and co-operation.”

The head of TUC International Department, Owen Tudor, said the TUC leadership had never supported a boycott of Israel, and would continue to support both Israeli and Palestinian trade unions.

The Deputy Israeli Ambassador to the UK, Talya Lador-Fresher, was able to present how the Israeli public would react to a boycott call.  She said that they would feel unfairly victimized and it would not get the reaction that was intended.   

John Lyndon then told the delegates of the positive work that OneVoice does to amplify the voice of Israeli and Palestinian moderates, empowering them to seize back the agenda for conflict resolution.  Outlining OneVoices’ aims, which resonated with the trade unionists present, Lyndon said that the campaign believed in the power of the people to take part in the decision making process, demand accountability from their leaders, and create a historic change.

See all the photos of the event.