The well-known trade union, which has nearly 600,000 members, has submitted an amendment which would delete the call for the Trades Union Congress (TUC) to “develop an effective boycott, disinvestment and sanctions campaign” from a motion submitted by the Fire Brigades Union (FBU).

The GMB’s amendment also adds a condemnation of Hamas rocket attacks against Israeli civilians.

The FBU motion along with the GMB amendment will now be debated at the upcoming TUC Congress in Liverpool. 

The GMB has taken a balanced approach to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict for many years and in 2007 sent Debbie Coulter, the Deputy General Secretary of GMB, on a TUFI delegation. 

The union also supports Israeli-Palestinian trade union co-operation and its amendment deletes the call for the TUC to “carry out a review of the TUC’s relationship with the Histadrut” and instead inserts a commitment to support “stronger relations with the Histadrut”.

The GMB amendment comes after news that the Histadrut and the PGFTU have announced yet another joint trade union project to provide vocational training for Israeli and Palestinian transport union members. 

TUFI Chair, Roger Lyons, said that “a boycott would prevent these kinds of initiatives which are the building blocks for trust and confidence towards long-term peace”.

Israeli and Palestinian transport unions have been working together since 2007 after they developed a joint-project to help prevent drivers being delayed at security checkpoints. 

The new agreement aims to deepen this relationship by arranging a joint training seminar for 11 truck drivers from each union. 

The stated goals of the first joint seminar are:

1. The acquisition of professional knowledge via brainstorming sessions;

2. The strengthening of co-operation between the federations and affiliated unions;

3. The deepening of the relationship between the Histadrut, the PGFTU, the ITF and its affiliated unions;

4. To be an example and model for other professional unions affiliated with the PGFTU and the Histadrut.

The total budget for the first seminar is $31,600 and the two federations are looking for assistance in raising this money from organisations willing to show solidarity with their positive efforts. 

The programme, entitled “Vocational Training and Employment for Palestinian Construction Trainees,” will enable participants to gain “professional knowledge and experience and guarantee their employment in the Israeli building industry.”

The official agreement letter, signed by Itzhak Moyal, the chairman of the Israeli Construction union, and Sharher Sa’ed, the General Secretary of the PGFTU, states that:

“It is our pleasure to express our endorsement and commitment for this important and high priority venture between our organizations, which no doubt will enhance the relationship between the Histadrut and the PGFTU, strengthen the status of the Palestinian and Israeli employees and strongly support the peace process and co-existence in our region.”

"We greatly appreciate the efforts of the BWI [the Building and Wood Workers' International] for taking the auspice in this venture and the strengthening of international solidarity. We are convinced that the co-operation between our organisations will be a role model for the trade union movement and the political leaders in our region."

In its first year of operation it is planned that the scheme will support 60 trainees and include 540 classroom hours, consisting of three months of theoretical and field training.

At the end of each course there will be a comprehensive exam and sucessful candidates will receive a diploma and professional certificates in construction and metal work.

The Palestinian trainees will arrive each day on a booked bus, which will pick them up at at a specific point at a border check point and drop them off at the same place at the end of each day. The students also will be accompanied by a Palestinian course co-ordinator, who will be the liaison with the Israeli team.

For the full details of the Israeli-Palestinian agreement - click here.

Abdulhadi, who has represented the Palestinian Authority in Australia since 2005, was speaking at the Australian Labor Party national conference on 30 July during an event sponsored by the Australian Workers' Union (AWU) and supported by the Maritime Union of Australia (MUA).

The fringe event was called to discuss practical solutions the Australian labour movement could do to support peace, justice and reconciliation in Palestine and Israel. Other guest speakers included: the President of the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC), the Iraqi Ambassador to Australia, Ghanim Al Shibli, and the Syrian Ambassador to Australia, Tammam Sulaiman, who was invited to respond to questions from the audience about current issues between Syria and Israel.

Read more about the event here

“Continuation of the relaxation of the restrictions could result in real GDP growth in the West Bank of 7 percent for 2009 as a whole. This would represent the first significant improvement in living standards in the West Bank since 2006.” (15/07/09)

The IMF report also praised the “steady [economic] progress” the Palestinians have made for themselves, with particular credit given to Prime Minister Salam Fayyad, himself a former World Bank economist and holder of a PhD in economics. Fayyad is scheduled to visit the southern West Bank districts of Hebron and Bethlehem to inaugurate a number of water wells and pumps on Monday (20 July). In addition, the US administration praised the Israeli government for its efforts. Speaking to the Jerusalem Post newspaper on Friday (17 July) a US State Department official said:

“We welcome the steps that Prime Minister Netanyahu has taken to increase access and movement for Palestinians in the West Bank... While more remains to be done, these are important steps that will help improve the situation on the ground and help create the context for the early resumption of negotiations towards a final-status agreement.” (17/07/09)

In an effort to continue to the boost the Palestinian economy and freedom of movement, the Israeli Defense Force (IDF) is considering what the Jerusalem Post newspaper described on Monday (20 July) as the “largest one-time easing of restrictions on Palestinians” ahead of the Muslim festival of Ramadan, which begins on 21 August. The list of gestures being considered includes the removal of over 100 checkpoints throughout the West Bank. Over the past two years, Israel has removed more than 100 checkpoints and roadblocks, including those at the entrances to the cities of Jericho, Jenin and Nablus. Quartet Representative Tony Blair visited Nablus on Tuesday (14 July) to praise recent developments in the West Bank city. He said that the West Bank economy is growing “because Palestinians are providing their own security today, and doing it well, and the Israelis are starting to lift the access and movement restrictions.”

Miliband said the economic, academic and cultural boycotts "obstruct opportunities for co-operation and dialogue, and serve only to polarise debate further”. He also commended the Histadrut (Israeli TUC) and the Palestine General Federation of Trade Unions (PGFTU) for their recent agreements and commitments to work together and said:

"Initiatives like this bring people closer together, rather than pushing them further apart, and the Government welcomes and encourages British union support for such projects. It is vital that we do all we can to break the vicious cycle of fear and mistrust and help Israelis and Palestinians find common ground so that they can live together in peace." (23/06/2009)