I've received a number of emails about the work of the union in this area - two of which are published here with my replies. Please also see some background to the whole question at Stop the bloody war
I
emailed the International Department of the NUT on 30 July,
asking why there had been no public statement condemning the killing of
innocent civilians, many of them children, in the Lebanon. I have heard
nothing so far, so I hope you, as executive members, will bring your influence
to bear. The NUT must not remain silent and detached, but must add its
voice to the many other national trade unions who are calling for an immediate
cease fire. I am sure I speak for many NUT members.
Thanks for your note. I agree absolutely. Please have a look at my website www.billgreenshields.org.uk and you will see
that the war is the first item on the homepage, and I think gives useful context as well as calling for action against the war.
However, this is certainly not the Union website - and the Union should be making our views known loud and clear in every
way we can However, we have issued a very powerful press statement - and were instrumental in ensuring that this was a
joint union statement.
I'll forward this message to the appropriate people.
Thanks again
Bill
To Bill – will you support this?
On behalf of Merseyside
trade unionists the Sacked Liverpool Dockworkers have been asked to circulate,
coordinate and collate all responses to this message.
Sanctions on
Israel…if not now, when?
Merseyside trade unionists call for sanctions against Israeli invasions
of Lebanon, Gaza
We are trade
unionists with a record of action within our own industries and in opposition
to racism and war. We watch with horror and outrage as Israel has bombed
Lebanon indiscriminately since 12 July with hundreds of civilian casualties,
and their army begins a major ground invasion. Similar atrocities are being
committed against Palestinians by Israeli forces in Gaza.
We know that the
Blair government, including even the T&G sponsored Foreign Secretary, has
given Israel a blank cheque to continue this war while the UN Secretary General
calls for an immediate ceasefire and Israeli bombs kill UN observers at their
post in Lebanon.
We also know that
our own unions have been very slow to react. It is two years since the
International Court of Justice declared the apartheid wall which carves up the
West Bank to be completely illegal under the 4th Geneva Convention,
along with the Israeli settlements and the entire occupation itself.
How much longer are we prepared to watch Lebanon and Palestine burn,
before we act?
In the 1930s,
trade unionists from Merseyside fought fascism in Spain.
In 1973,
Rolls-Royce engineers in Glasgow refused to ship RB-111 jet engines to the
Chilean junta after Pinochet overthrew the democratically elected government of
Salvador Allende. On Merseyside, trade unionists and our movement took Chilean
refugees to their heart.
In the 1980s,
Liverpool dockers and many other workers around the world imposed sanctions on
South Africa, even while Margaret Thatcher backed the apartheid regime to the
hilt. We agree with Willie Madisha, President of the Congress of South African
Trade Unions (COSATU), who wrote on 6 June:
"Boycotts, disinvestments and sanctions against the apartheid
regime in South Africa hastened our march to democracy. Why should it be
different for the people of Lebanon or Palestine? In the face of an
intransigent, arrogant, racist and brutal Israeli state, this strategy of
isolation - particularly since the vast majority of Lebanese and Palestinians
support it - should be applied to Israel as well. It is a peaceful
option."
If not now, when?
We call on our
brothers and sisters throughout the movement to
1) Boycott Israeli
consumer goods
2) Identify your
employer's trade and investment links with Israel, and raise these as a matter
of utmost urgency
3) Speak out
within your union and demand that your elected leadership recognise the
slaughter in Lebanon and Gaza is a trade union issue and act accordingly
4) Join
demonstrations and donate funds in solidarity with Palestinian and Lebanese
victims of the Israeli military aggression
5) If you can,
intervene directly to stop trade with Israel while the carnage in Lebanon and
Gaza continues
Dear ....
I'm not sure who the originators of this appeal are. Do they represent trades unionists in Merseyside, or are they a self-appointed group? The reason I ask is that the issue of an economic boycott of Israel is not as straightforward as it would at first appear. We all support, I think, a two state solution - there are very few who would support the idea that the State of Israel should be destroyed. If there is a recognised state, within that nation there is a working class, and organisations of that class... trade unions, "peace groups", community organisations etc. These are not synonymous with the State and its military, economic and political leaders. Many Israeli workers and organisations are opposed to war and occupation, opposed to the wall, for a right of return, for a 2 state solution. None as far as I know support a boycott of Israel. The appeal mentions the International Brigades for Republican Spain, the boycott of South Africa, the action on Pinochet's Chile. In each case the workers of the country concerned were calling for that action. In the case of Israel, we would be calling for a boycott against the wishes of Israeli workers. Perhaps this is the right thing to do - but it is a new situation, dissimilar from Spain, S Africa, Chile. Its effects might be positive – but equally it might be used to consolidate the Israeli State's position within Israel, undermining the trade union and progressive movement's position against the war and occupation etc. How would this help? It is certain that the economic effects of a boycott would be offset by the USA. The political effects, if the internal resistance to war and occupation were weakened, could be negative. So I think this needs to be raised as a demand first with the Israeli unions and progressive movements. I have heard it argued that there can be no distinction - that all Israelis are as guilty as each other. This lacks any sort of class analysis of the State of Israel – and certainly indicates a lack of actual contact with Israeli workers and their organisations. A similar situation might have been seen if, say, the French trade union movement had called successfully for a boycott of Britain because of the occupation of the north of Ireland. If such a boycott began to have an effect - industrial closures etc - without support from the British trade union movement, would this have strengthened or weakened those of us in Britain opposed to the occupation of the north of Ireland? For such a boycott to have had positive results it would have needed the support of British trades unionists in the first place. I think the same is probably true of a boycott of Israel. So rather than just making "appeals" the originators of this appeal and others like it need to win the hard political battle first - get support from the TU movement here, and support from Israeli TUs too. That might not be achievable in the immediate, and of course the situation could not be more urgent. But we MUST consider the effects of any proposed action - unless it is intended to just be a political posture and not become reality - and whether it would undermine or reinforce Israeli aggression. I don’t think it is universally true that “our unions have been slow to react”. The NUT’s policy on the Middle East is very positive, and a great deal of work has been done – particularly with the Israeli Teachers’ Union and the General Union of Palestinian Teachers – and continues to be done to make it a reality rather than just a statement or policy posture. Given the nature of the situation, a great deal of this work is done “behind closed doors” without fanfare or publicity – but nonetheless it is done… and has effect. Now the aggression of Israel against the people of Lebanon and Gaza, and the possibility of war throughout the region demands action and very vocal demands for a ceasefire. But we must make sure that the tactics of our campaign do not inadvertently undermine our policy objectives – and lead to even more division and deaths. Finally - at least for now - a BIG question. We all know that the Israeli State is backed directly, politically
and economically, by the USA. We know that without US support, the Israeli State could not carry on with
its aggressive policies. We know that the USA has launched an illegal war against Iraq, and now illegally
occupies its territory, with devastating results. We know that the USA has its own neoliberal exploitative
plans for "The Greater Middle East" .
Why do we not call, therefore, for a boycott of the USA? And if we did, would we, as British trades unionists, support an economic boycott of Britain by the rest of the world, in recognition that the
British Government is USA's closest ally - in fact its ONLY ally in opposing an immediate ceasefire in the
current attacks on Lebanon? That our government took us into an illegal war on a false premise, and is
now illegally occupying Iraq? The South African unions were strong and brave enough to call for a boycott
of their own country in order to isolate its Apartheid government - knowing full well that the effects of a
boycott, if successful, would impact adversely on the lives of their own members. Would we, workers
in Britain, be prepared to see such a boycott of British goods and services, imports and exports, in order
that the role of the British government - identified in our own Conference policy - be highlighted and
undermined nationally and internationally?
We need to be able to answer these questions if we are really serious about campaigning at home and
abroad for a boycott of Israel.