UK’s second-biggest trade union backs Israel boycott movement

The second-biggest trade union in the UK on Friday backed the Palestinian-led Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement against Israel at a conference.

Unite, which represents 1.2 million workers and is one of 15 trade unions affiliated to the Palestine Solidarity Campaign, passed three motions supporting BDS.

One, which passed unanimously, calls on the UK government to abandon the Economic Activity of Public Bodies (Overseas Matters) bill, which bans public bodies, including councils, from launching their own boycotts, and explicitly mentions Israel and the Occupied Territories.

The bill “seeks to limit the ability of public bodies to make ethical choices about spending and investment that reflect widespread public support for human rights, climate goals and international law,” the motion said.

PSC said the bill would also “shield companies engaged in human rights abuse or environmental destruction by preventing public bodies from cutting financial ties with them over abusive or illegal actions committed in a foreign state, unless expressly permitted to do so by the government.”

Another motion affirmed the union’s recognition of Israel as practicing apartheid, and urged the UK government to abandon its free-trade agreement with the country.

It also noted Unite’s support for BDS campaigns against companies with ties to Israel’s occupation of Palestinian territories.

At the conference, the union also vowed to promote the Right to Boycott campaign among its membership, encouraging workers to sign a petition against the government bill.

A further motion that was passed concerned the Israeli Defense Ministry’s naming of six Palestinian civil society and human rights organizations as “terrorist” bodies.

This is a “direct assault in an effort to isolate and restrict human rights defenders,” the conference said, adding that the targeted organizations “provide services and support to women, children, farmers and prisoners, and collectively support thousands of Palestinians.”

Unite called for the Israeli government to drop its “spurious” allegations, and for the UK government to reaffirm its support for Palestinian civil society.

PSC Director Ben Jamal said: “At a moment when the government’s anti-boycott bill seeks to delegitimize the Palestinian call for boycott, divestment and sanctions, the unanimous support of Unite’s members … for motions affirming support for BDS is crucial.

“Unite has made clear that it will continue to stand shoulder to shoulder with the Palestinian people and reject all efforts to delegitimize their struggle for liberation.”