This article appears on the website of the Jewish Labour Movement in the U.K.

by Roger Lyons

In a long standing tradition, international trade union co-operation has been about solidarity, campaigning for peace, co-operation, economic development and education.

This is most acute in the Middle East where all efforts should be exerted towards solidarity between Israeli and Palestinians who support the peace process, which is the policy supported by almost all other trade unions around the world. Support for a boycott is diametrically opposite to this.

There has been a marked increase of pro boycott motions passed by British trade unions this year. Six out of the ten largest UK unions have now passed motions with references to boycotts of Israel and both the Scottish Trades Union Congress and the Irish Congress of Trade Unions have a boycott policy.

But such non-constructive efforts are not the right approach, especially when there’s real progress on the ground between Israeli and Palestinian trade unions.

While UK union calls to boycott Israel have been gathering pace, co-operation between Israeli and Palestinian hade unions has been increasing The Palestine General Federation of Trade Unions (PGFTU) has not called for a boycott and the Histadrut and the PGFTU have both said publicly that they want to continue working together.

Trade Union Friends of Israel (TUFI) delegations visit Nablus, Ramallah and Tel Aviv and see clear evidence, despite long standing obstacles besides all the well known problems, of trade unionists co-operating together.

For example, in August last year, Israeli and Palestinian trade unionists signed a landmark agreement to base future relations on negotiation, dialogue and joint initiatives to advance “fraternity and co-existence”. This historic agreement was negotiated under the auspices of Guy Ryder, General Secretary of the world-wide international Trade Union Confederation (ITUC). The Histadrut also recently issued a policy statement on “peace and co-operation” spelling out its commitment to the peace process and Ryder responded by saying that this was an “important and welcome call for dialogue and progress to achieve the objective of two states co-existing in conditions of peace and security”.

In another successful initiative facilitated by the International Transport Workers’ Federation in 2007, transport workers from both sides agreed to improve the passage of professional drivers at checkpoints in the West Bank, setting up a hotline so that any unnecessary delays can be quickly resolved. This has created an environment of trust, enabling transport workers to get on with their jobs and lives - something that a boycott would most certainly impede.

Further recent co-operative developments between construction unions to give apprenticeships to Palestinians alongside their Israeli counterparts will provide vital skills needed to develop the infrastructure of a future Palestinian state. The Histadrut has also taken high court action to win higher pay and union rights for West Bank workers and a strong PGFTU delegation to the Histadrut’s annual conference reinforced their shared strategy of co-operation. Such agreements are building blocks for trust and confidence and crucially have the full endorsement and approval of the PGFTU. A boycott would prevent these kinds of initiative and hamper Palestinians from attaining vital skills for the future.

It is an irony that a boycott would harm the very people it is ostensibly intended to help! It would stop all economic and social engagement between Israelis and Palestinians,  hurting many communities, workers and their families.

It is also ironic that the Histadrut,  which has an impressive history of democratic, free trade unionism and does exemplary work for its members, is being targeted when last year alone it negotiated a five percent wage rise for all public sector workers and pension cover for the entire private sector workforce. The Histadrut unites hundreds of thousands of union members, regardless of religion, race or gender. Arab-Israelis make up twenty percent of its membership and the head of the International Department, Nawaf Massalha, is an Arab-Israeli.

Why are trade unions exclusively attacking Israel? What about China, Libya, Saudi Arabia and Sudan where trade union rights are really threatened or banned? And where are the motions in support of the trade unionists under attack in Gaza? Soon after seizing power in Gaza, Hamas stamped down on trade unionism, took over the PGFTU headquarters, removed existing slogans and flags, and raised a Hamas flag over the building. The Deputy General Secretary of the PGFTU had to flee to the West Bank after coming under physical attack and when public sector unions called for a strike in Gaza at the end of last year, Hamas just threatened to sack everyone that took part.

The timing of the boycott calls could not come at a more inopportune time with President Obama’s careful and systematic steps to revive the peace process gaining traction. His personal commitment is clear and the engagement of Senator Mitchell, who played such an important role during the peace process in Northern Ireland, could reap dividends in the coming months.

We at TUFI invite all unions to co-operate with their Palestinian and Israeli counterparts. Both the Bakers, Food and Allied Workers’ Union and the RMT hosted their Israeli and Palestinian counterparts at their recent conferences, and pledged to work together despite their differences.. The hypocrisy is that this is ignored or even openly opposed by elements who profess to support Palestinians, but instead support Hamas on a boycott, the de-legitimisation of Israel and sectarian terrorist aims, not trade union solidarity!

This is no time for negative actions. Any support for boycotts in the face of progress will bring the British trade union movement into disrepute; isolated, ineffective and critical of one of the long standing pillars of the peace camp, the Histadrut.

The attitude of some UK unions is now so out of kilter with both the ITUC and international sister unions that a number of unions have founded their own international organisation, TULIP (Trade Unions Linking Israel and Palestine;  http://www.tuliponline.org ) gathering support from unions across the world. The closer links being forged on the basis of support for a two-state solution with security and economic well-being for the region is surely the way ahead.

Roger Lyons is a former President of the TUC and is Chair of Trade Union Friends of Israel