DELEGATES at the TUC Congress in Brighton passed a composite motion on Palestine on the conference’s final day yesterday, alongside further motions on military spending and the siege of Cuba.
Speaking on Composite Resolution 18 on Palestine, Zita Holborne of the FDA (First Division Association) trade union said: ‘We must stand firm in our support for the BDS (Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions) movement. We must bring pressure on the Israeli regime by doing so. The BDS movement comes after the anti-apartheid movement in South Africa.
‘There was a massive cultural, sporting and economic boycott of the racist South African regime, which played a massive role in the end of apartheid. The BDS movement is already having a massive effect, but we call for more than that. We call for the international movement to implement it fully.
‘People in Palestine, especially Gaza, are living in shocking conditions. In Gaza, children, women and men are attacked and killed on a daily basis, and there are also increasing attacks in the West Bank, with settlers protected by Israeli occupation forces carrying out an increasing number of attacks, including the seizure of land and attacks on Palestinian farmers and shepherds. We stand by the Palestinian people, and we must fight for the Palestinians to win.’
Margaret McKie of Unison said: ‘BDS is a policy we have fought hard to put in place. The Israeli military now controls two thirds of Gaza, and the situation in the West Bank is also getting worse on a daily basis. The government must be held to account and do what it has said, and cut ties with Israel. If the government does not support the Palestinian people, it is complicit in the genocide. We must support the march on October 10th and the day of action.’
Ed Harlow of the NEU said: ‘We must be part of the force that continues to isolate the Israeli regime. In Gaza, since October 2023, 21,000 children are dead and almost 40,000 injured, with thousands more still trapped under the rubble. Alongside that, there is the almost total destruction of healthcare in Gaza, with all hospitals bombed at some point during the Israeli military campaign.’
Paul Nowak, TUC general secretary, said: ‘This motion calls for support for BDS and for the government to cut all ties with the Israeli government. We support all marches and demonstrations in support of Palestine.
‘That was TUC policy last year and it will continue. We are more firm on that than ever.’ The motion was passed by the conference.
Motion 75, Building Real Security, was moved by Jo Grady of the UCU, who said there should be no increase in military spending, and that any increase would come out of other spending and must therefore be opposed.
Alex Gordon of the RMT, speaking in support of the motion, said: ‘We took the important decision last year to change TUC policy from 2022, which called for support for increased military spending. The future does not lie in spending more on defence.
‘We oppose spending on an industry whose weapons are used to attack Palestine and workers around the world.’
The motion was passed by the Congress.
