In an extraordinary article for Al Monitor, journalist Daoud Kuttab has profiled Bassam Zakarneh, the leader of the public sector workers union in Palestine.
Zakarneh seems to be a new kind of union leader, one who is not afraid to stand up to the politicians who have for decades used trade unions as part of a broader political struggle.
He has apparently become popular, and made enemies among some traditional Palestinian politicans, because of his insistent demands for transparency — and his advocacy of workers’ rights.
Kuttab concludes the article saying,
“Zakarneh can show his union members success in fighting for their rights and obtaining the basics that any employee wants from his union — namely to be sure that they are paid regularly and without interruption. For that, Zakarneh is clearly one of the most powerful men in Palestine.”