A decision by the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) to incorporate teaching about the Holocaust in schools they run for Palestinian children has been met with hostility by the teachers union. The teachers’ union leadership issued a statement…
Author Archive for andrew
Unions pressure South African university to break ties with Israel
by andrew • • Comments Off on Unions pressure South African university to break ties with Israel
An education and health workers’ union in South Africa is campaigning to get the University of Johannesburg to cut its long standing ties with Israel’s Ben-Gurion University. The National Education, Health and Allied Workers’ Union (NEHAWU), which is affiliated to…
A Chat with Stuart Appelbaum
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US unionist Stuart Appelbaum visited Australia to speak at the 125th anniversary national conference of the Australian Workers’ Union. He also met with the National Executive of the Shop Distributive and Allied Employees Association. The Australian Jewish News ran this…
Workers’ pact for peace and justice in Palestine and Israel
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The ITUC General Council meeting in Brussels last week adopted a statement on Peace and Justice in Palestine and Israel in furtherance of decisions taken at the ITUC World Congress. The ITUC World Congress in Vancouver adopted a resolution on…
Marginalised women workers in Israel get their voices heard
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It’s unlikely an event like this has ever been held in Israel before. On January 4, women from the Galilee, the Negev and the Triangle (Wadi Ara region) came together at the Inbal Dance Theatre for the Black Labor Conference…
Unions in Israel, South Africa threaten Tzipi visit to Jo’burg and Cape Town
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Update: Livni cancels trip because of Israel labour dispute spokesperson says. South African unions dispute the reasons given; claim it was because of their legal threat to have her arrested! Livni branded ‘war criminal’ on national union website The South…
Anti-union UNRWA official quits amid controversy
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The West Bank director of UNRWA, Barbara Shenstone, who became a hate figure among members of the UNRWA Workers’ Union, has quit. Shenstone took a hard-line attitude against the union; refusing to negotiate a pay agreement and prolonging a strike…
Victory for Palestinian hotel workers
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Palestinian hotel workers closed 2010 with a major victory, achieving important rights and protections after more than a year of negotiations with the Arab Hotel Association, according to a report published by the Solidarity Center. “Following an organizing campaign that…
Israel port strike settled as workers win 6% pay increase, big gains for new workers, more vacation and sick days
by andrew • • Comments Off on Israel port strike settled as workers win 6% pay increase, big gains for new workers, more vacation and sick days
A three day long strike that crippled Israel’s ports is now over, with the union having secured a 6% pay increase for workers and an additional 5% for the least senior members (workers hired after 2005). The Histadrut called the…
Histadrut wins 12% increase in minimum wage
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Several months ago we reported on a failed attempt by former Histadrut leader Amir Peretz to legally force an increase in Israel’s national minimum wage. This week, according to a report in Ha’aretz, the “minimum wage will increase 12 percent…