Supporting Palestine by BDS - TUC

TUC: A Scottish trade union delegation to Palestine and Israel called for a campaign for international boycott of Israeli products, disinvestment and sanctions. UNISON has the opportunity to adopt a more explicit stance on BDS in joining others behind the FBU call at this week's TUC.

Eleven senior Scottish trade unionists visited their opposite numbers in the Israeli Histadrut trade union centre and the Palestinian General Federation of Trade Unions, in early March 2009.

They also met representatives of local communities, government and human rights campaigning organisations on both sides and travelled extensively in the West Bank.

The objective of the visit was to gather evidence to help the STUC decide whether to support a campaign for an international boycott of Israeli products, plus disinvestment and sanctions.

The report is an unvarnished account of meetings and discussions that gives a clear indication of the complexity of the political issues faced on the ground by workers, whether Israeli or Palestinian, whether Muslim, Jewish or Christian.

The delegation deliberately sought to engage with the Israeli side as well as the Palestinians. Some of the encounters were "uncomfortable," especially the meeting with Israeli foreign affairs officials.

As well as listening, the Scottish delegation had some issues to raise.

"The delegation questioned the officials on Israel's failure to comply with UN security council resolutions, on the high number of civilian deaths and casualties, the political timing of the attacks on Gaza and Israel allowing the ceasefire with Hamas to expire. We did not receive any satisfactory answers to these questions," states the report.

While considering the undoubted negative aspects of boycott, which were unsurprisingly highlighted by Histadrut, the report concludes by recommending that the STUC should support a campaign for international boycott of Israeli products, disinvestment and sanctions.

In short, UNISON’s policy is:

· On boycotts. The Palestine motion agreed by NDC in 2007 said that, “But Conference believes that ending the occupation demands concerted and sustained pressure upon Israel including an economic, cultural, academic and sporting boycott.”

· UNISON Conference 2009 reaffirmed policy on boycott and called on the British government to support a ban on imports of all goods, especially agricultural products from the illegal settlements in the occupied territories and until such a ban is introduced, to support a boycott of these goods

· UNISON does not boycott Israeli goods or organisations and nor do we ask our members to do so. However, we do believe that boycott policy is an instrument to bring pressure on the Israeli government to end the Occupation.

· On divestment. Composite D passed at 2008 NDC instructed the NEC to “examining the investments of their members' pension funds with a view to calling for disinvestment from companies such as Caterpillar, involved in the occupation” and also “Ensure that the union divests itself of any holdings in companies responsible for maintaining the illegal Wall condemned by the International Court of Justice.”

· On sanctions. UNISON policy favours sanctions against Israel, in particular UNISON have called for an arms embargo on Israel and for the EU-Israel Association Agreement (which grants Israel preferential trading rights with the EU) to be suspended as Israel is in breach of Article 2 of the agreement in relation to human rights.

UNISON has the opportunity to adopt a more explicit stance on BDS in joining others behind the FBU (76) call at this weeks TUC.