‘I DEMAND the recognition of Palestine’ Shaher Saed, the General Secretary of the Palestinian General Federation of Trade Unions (PGFTU), told the TUC Congress in Brighton yesterday.
Speaking on the last morning of the Congress, Saed told delegates: ‘It is a privilege to stand before you today. I stand for our women, youth, elderly and workers who face the daily struggle under occupation, we offer our heartfelt thanks to everyone that believes in freedom worldwide.
‘Comrades, I come to you from Palestine. In the Gaza Strip we endure genocide and ethnic cleansing every day. 60,945 have been killed, over 18,592 of them children. Hundreds of children have died of starvation.
‘At the same time we must not forget what is going on in the West Bank, 1,024 killed in the West Bank since October 2023.
‘Across Gaza and the West Bank many are missing. In the West Bank 140,000 have had their wages stripped in the last 23 months. In the West Bank alone over 167,000 are left jobless.
‘There have been over 30,000 arrests in the West Bank in that time. You cannot move from area to area, village to village, because of the Israeli checkpoints. Everyday life is disrupted many times a day.
‘People are being stopped from travelling around the world. There are the refugee camps in Jenin, Shu’fat, Qalandia, Askar and more raided. To be with you I left Nablus on the Friday before last and did not arrive in the UK until the Monday.
‘Governments around the world must act, the British government must act to suspend its trade agreement with Israel and also an end to all arms sales to Israel. I demand the recognition of Palestine.
‘The international community must make sure the Israelis are held responsible for the action by the International Criminal Court (ICC) and the International Court of Justice (ICJ).
‘You called for an immediate ceasefire, you called for the recognition of the state of Palestine. I offer my gratitude. We look forward to agreements between the TUC and PGFTU.
‘Together we are stronger than they are. If we work together then the occupation will end. Free, Free Palestine, Free, Free Palestine!’ Saed concluded, to a five-minute standing ovation.
Unanimous support for Palestine at TUC Congress
YESTERDAY the TUC unanimously passed composite motion 14 demanding action on Palestine. It was moved by Daniel Kebede, the General Secretary of the NEU education union.
The motion states:
‘Israel’s ongoing genocidal onslaught on Gaza has killed over 55,000 Palestinians, including 18,000 children. Key workers have been targeted by Israel, with 166 journalists and media workers, 120 academics, and over 224 humanitarian aid workers killed since 2023 …
ii. alongside widespread destruction of vital infrastructure including homes, hospitals, schools, and universities, Israel is blocking food and humanitarian aid, causing starvation and the spread of preventable disease;
iii. threats by Israeli government ministers including Netanyahu, supported by Trump, to ethnically cleanse Gaza, while settler and army attacks on Palestinians have increased significantly in the occupied West Bank;
iv. despite words of condemnation, the British government continues to export weapons and military technology used by Israel in Gaza…
Congress reaffirms its existing policy supporting Palestinian rights.
Congress urgently calls on the UK government to:
a. take meaningful action to secure an immediate, complete, and permanent ceasefire with full access for food and aid delivery into Gaza;
b. immediately end all arms trade and military collaboration with Israel;
c. implement a total ban on all trade which aids or assists Israel’s violations of international law including with Israel’s illegal settlements;
d. demanded an immediate end to all trade with Israel which assists its violation of international law including with Israel’s illegal settlements;
e. demanded ‘repeal the authoritarian proscription of Palestine Action under counter-terrorism laws.’
Motion and all amendments passed unanimously.
Speaking on the motion Oppose Disability Cuts Emergency, Hannah David, PCS said: ‘The government focus on cutting Personal Independence Payment (PIP) is not economically coherent, it does not just effect people that are out of work, it effects people working as well We must oppose the cuts to PIP.’
Alan Hackett from the NASUWT said: ‘We must oppose the cuts to PIP but also the cuts to mental health services which are being carried out by this government. PIP, as others have said, is not an out of work benefit, it is mainly used by those that do work work so that they are able to travel and help them at home and in the workplace so that they can maintain some independence.
Motion carried unanimously.
