STUC to back Palestinian students

#STUC16 The STUC will seek talks with Scottish Universities Support Palestinian Students (SUSPS) with a view to giving active support to a revised initiative and encourage unions to back the project financially and in any other ways possible.

The Edinburgh TUC motion reminded delegates that last year’s Congress in Ayr gave a generous welcome to the first recipient of a SUSPS award who is from Gaza.

Live reports from delegation to Palestine - please support the boycott policy

Fifth and last report from a delegation to Palestine and Israel by Sam Macartney, UNISON Scotland International Chair: Day 5: Went to Hebron and was not surprised by the number of Israeli solders surrounding this city.

A few hundred Israeli settlers have live in Hebron since 1982. There have always been some issues but this has increased dramatically over the last 20 years. Ever since Israel's settler building program has taken off, there has been many Palestinians murdered since the late 90's including a young 17 year old woman shot and left to die in February this year in front of a mosque.

It took two hours to get an ambulance. Israeli soldiers pulled her body behind a wall so the public wouldn't be upset.

Life for a Palestinian in Hebron is hard an cruel. There are now 400 hundred settlers protected by 3,000 Israeli soldiers. They must feel very safe.

If you feel I'm being tough on Israel and how its ethnic policies are impacting on Palestinians please come to Hebron.

Thanks for listening to my reports and please support the boycott policy because the Palestinian people deserve to live in their own country without fear and oppression.

Live reports from delegation to Palestine - illegal settlements, demolition and displacement

Fourth report from a delegation to Palestine and Israel by Sam Macartney, UNISON Scotland International Chair: Day 4 Jerusalem: Two scheduled meetings for today and a chance to see the illegal settlements which the Israeli government are helping to build and saying their not.

Furniture tossed on the street

UN you need to see a good optician. Illegal settlements spring up in East Jerusalem at a rapid pace. But these are not settlements. These are massive housing schemes with wall to wall shopping malls, schools and facilities which cover miles of stolen territory, while the Palestinians are forced to live in slum like conditions with no facilities and without proper construction guidelines.

Live reports from delegation to Palestine - unions, working conditions and learning

Third report from a delegation to Palestine and Israel by Sam Macartney, UNISON Scotland International Chair: Early start this morning to beat the traffic and the check points, yes there is wall to wall check points - makes a few people feel safe but many others living under occupation.

Sam Macartney at the
Yasser Arafat memorial

Reached Ramallah, and it felt good to be in a Palestinian city were people could smile a little, Our first meeting of the day was with DWRC (democracy and workers rights centre) who advised us of their continued fight to achieve right and safe working conditions for workers and families in Ramallah.

This group, with ties to some trade unions, assists many groups in the city and continues to help children who are forced into work even at the age of 12 to 14 years old. These children need help and support with employers who care nothing for age and exploit them daily.

Violence and harassment are common place with 12% of children spoken to stating they have been subjected to ill-treatment. Israeli employers seem indifferent to child protection laws.

Live reports from delegation to Palestine - UN and Kavla Oved

Second report from a delegation to Palestine and Israel by Sam Macartney, UNISON Scotland International Chair:  Day 3: Met with the UN representative this morning, (Rodger Dalton) also at the meeting was Lord Warner Labour peer, and two forgettable Tory MPs. They were getting to travel to Gaza while groups with a real interest an agenda are barerd.

Meeting with Kavla Oved workers' rights group

The meeting again confirmed the lack of interest by the majority of the UN nations, still no building material aloud to enter Gaza. The Israeli government have stated that building material can be used for terrorism. Meanwhile people live in tents. Some tents where supplied by UN countries who have no intention to ask for compensation from Israel for destroying them.

Live reports from UNISON delegation to Palestine

Sam Macartney, UNISON Scotland International Chair, reports from a delegation to Palestine and Israel: Day one arrived Tel Aviv. As expected I was pulled in by Israeli security, thankfully only questioned for 20 minutes then released. It seems my reputation precedes me!

Another Israeli checkpoint, Jerusalem

On the drive to Jerusalem Noel our driver pointed out the security the Palestine workers and people must face day in day out. Horrendous can't explain what this is like. The harassment and humiliation these people face is beyond words!

There are now walls around all Palestinian settlements with signs stating Jews must be aware that this area is dangerous. For them! So much for shared futures and villages, these truly are divisive structures.

Let’s show the Palestinian people why Scotland supports them

#stuc15 The STUC was uncompromising in its backing for a comprehensive arms embargo on Israel until it ends its violations of international law and Palestinian human rights.

Delegates condemned the terrible Israeli assaults on Gaza over the Summer of 2014 which left thousands of Palestinian civilians dead and many more injured and homeless, many of them children.

Sam Macartney, Chair of UNISON Scotland’s International Committee told Congress that we need a clear commitment from politicians to support Palestine rights for world recognition as a nation.

Thousands in Edinburgh demand peace for Gaza

#Gaza Thousands turned out on in Edinburgh on Saturday to demand an end to the killing in Gaza. The Edinburgh UNISON banner was there as the rally at the Mound moved along Princes Street for a minute's silence and ended at Bute House, the First Minister's official residence.
  

Edinburgh UNISON banner - Tom Connolly

Hundreds also gathered in Aberdeen in the fourth consecutive week of demonstrations in the city. More than 60,000 also rallied in London. Malcolm Chisholm MSP and Aamer Anwar were among the speakers at the Edinburgh rally.

pic Tom Connolly

After 19 days of bombardment from Israel, the death toll in Gaza passed. UNICEF estimates that one in three civilian deaths are children under 18. Whole families have been wiped out. On 23 July, a UN statement said: "One child has been killed in Gaza every hour for the past two days."

UNISON and STUC tackling Israeli apartheid

#stuc14 UNISON’s Sam Macartney spoke on the motion on solidarity with the Palestinian People. Sam drew on UNISON’s experience of hosting Palestinian footballer Mahood Sarack Mahood, who comes from the Occupied Territories had been arrested and interned for the ‘crime’ of trying to visit his family without the permission of the Israeli army.

International solidarity: Palestine and Colombia

#undc13 The international session heard harrowing testimony of Colombian activists and calls for a sporting boycott to end Israeli apartheid.

Moving testimony of Colombian activists inspires support

Colombia is still one of the most dangerous places in the world to be a trade unionist and conference pledged to continue UNISON’s long term support for working people in Colombia in their struggles for human and trade union rights and to build a better quality of life.

Mahmoud Sarsak urges strong support for Israel boycott on visit to Glasgow

Palestinian footballer Mahmoud Sarsak urged a packed meeting of trade unionists in Glasgow today to keep up the boycott pressure on Israel.The fomer political detainee and hunger striker  gave a harrowing account of being tortured during his three years held without charge or trial or visits from family.

Speaking at a meeting in UNISON's Glasgow offices, he described what happened to him after he was detained by the Israeli security services in July 2009, when they took "both my dignity and my freedom."

 

Mahmoud said he and others, including child prisoners, were abused and suffered medical neglect.

 

Palestinian footballer joins UNISON in call for sporting boycott of Israel

13 June 2013

Mahmoud Sarsak Meeting 12.30pm - Friday 14th June 2013
UNISON, 14 West Campbell Street, GLASGOW G2 6RX

 Palestinian international footballer Mahmoud Sarsak – recently released from detention by the occupying Israeli forces after a three month hunger strike - will speak about his nation’s struggle for international recognition at a public meeting in Glasgow tomorrow (Friday 14 June)

 

Public service union UNISON, which has been a strong supporter of the Palestinian cause, is hosting the event.

Organise to end apartheid in Palestine

#undc12 Sarah Collins of East Ayrshire Branch told Conference that even as we celebrate the beginning of the end of apartheid in South Africa, there is evidence of growing apartheid in Palestine. See full story at http://www.unison-scotland.org.uk/conf2012/story13.htm

BDS Campaign: Israeli Democracy and Human Rights

In an open letter to The Herald newspaper in Scotland, Mike Kirby, Scottish Secretary questions potential attacks on the human rights organisation, B'Tselem, which has been supported by UNISON.

UNISON condemns Israeli attack on Gaza Flotilla and UK Government's "muted" response

Thu 3 June 2010

UNISON, the UK’s largest public sector union, today unreservedly condemned the Israeli attack on the Gaza Flotilla and the killing of ten civilians calling the British Government’s response “muted”.

A statement from the union’s ruling body – its National Executive Council – sent very deep condolences to the families of the dead, and a commitment to sending a formal protest to the Israeli embassy in the UK.

Dave Prentis, General Secretary of UNISON, said:

“The Israel attack on this aid flotilla, which was also in international waters, is an outrage. We send our deepest condolences to the families of the ten civilians who were killed in this raid.

“The Government’s muted response to the attack is in stark contrast to those other countries who called for the immediate release of their citizens being held by the Israelis. Volunteers were held prisoner by Israel and pressured into signing statements saying that they had entered into Israel illegally. This is a disgraceful way to treat a convoy bringing much needed aid to the people of Gaza.

“On behalf of the union’s National Executive Council, I will be making a formal protest to the Israeli embassy in London as well as writing to Foreign Secretary, William Hague, about the UK government’s muted response.

“I will be urging our members to support the national demonstration in London on 5 June to show the strength of feeling.”

UNISON is calling for an immediate, unconditional end to the siege of Gaza by Israel and for humanitarian aid, including construction materials for the buildings destroyed 18 months ago, to be allowed in.

ends

• UK Press Release
  
• Download NEC statement (Word doc)

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Britain’s unions commit to a mass boycott movement of Israeli goods

Date: 17 September 2009

In a landmark decision, Britain’s trade unions have voted overwhelmingly to commit to build a mass boycott movement, disinvestment and sanctions on Israel for a negotiated settlement based on justice for Palestinians.

The motion was passed at the 2009 TUC Annual Congress in Liverpool today (17 September), by unions representing 6.5 million workers across the UK.

Hugh Lanning, chair of the Palestine Solidarity Campaign, said: ‘This motion is the culmination of a wave of motions passed at union conferences this year, following outrage at Israel’s brutal war on Gaza, and reflects the massive growth in support for Palestinian rights. We will be working with the TUC to develop a mass campaign to boycott Israeli goods, especially agricultural products that have been produced in illegal Israeli settlements in the Palestinian West Bank.’

The motion additionally called for the TUC General Council to put pressure on the British government to end all arms trading with Israel and support moves to suspend the EU-Israel trade agreement. Unions are also encouraged to disinvest from companies which profit from Israel’s illegal 42-year occupation of Gaza and the West Bank.

The motion was tabled by the Fire Brigades Union. The biggest unions in the UK including UNISON voted in favour of the motion.

UNISON Scottish Convenor Mike Kirby, who recently returned from a Scottish Trade Union Congress fact-finding mission to Israel and Palestine, spoke in the debate.

"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", he said

"We need a campaign of focused and selective action against arms sales to Israel, against the illegal settlements and for a targeted consumer boycott. We need to get as many people involved as possible. Our aim is not to put jobs at risk, but to build political support and awareness. This is our generation's responsibility."

The motion also condemned the Israeli trade union Histadrut’s statement supporting Israel’s war on Gaza, which killed 1,450 Palestinians in three weeks, and called for a review of the TUC’s relationship with Histadrut. Britain’s trade unions join those of South Africa and Ireland in voting to use a mass boycott campaign as a tool to bring Israel into line with international law, and pressure it to comply with UN resolutions that encourage justice and equality for the Palestinian people.

Notes to Editors

• Media contact: Palestine Solidarity Campaign 020 7700 6192

• The full motion passed on 17 September can be viewed at: http://www.congressvoices.org/2009/76-palestine/

• The Palestine Solidarity Campaign is the largest solidarity movement with Palestinians in Britain – and is supported by thousands of individual members alongside 18 national trade union and hundreds of local trade union affiliates.

For more information: http://www.palestinecampaign.org

• The Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement aims to pressure Israel into complying with international law. http://www.bdsmovement.net/

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