Palestine: Adam Hanieh on why trade unions should support BDS
Video by SWPTvUK.
Adam Hanieh from the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS) development studies department was one of the speakers at a forum, "Palestine's fight for freedom", held in London on October 24, 2011.The meeting was initiated by the National Union of Rail Maritime & Transport (RMT) London Transport Region and supported by the SOAS branch of Unison and the University and College Union.
Other speakers included: Hugh Lanning, chair of the Palestine Solidarity Campaign (PCS); Moshe Machover, Israeli socialist; Anne Alexander, MENA Solidarity Network; and Ilan Pappe, author The Ethnic Cleansing of Palestine; SOAS Unison. For more videos of the speakers at the forum, go to SWPTvUk.
In commemoration of International Workers Day, the Palestinian trade union movement formed the Palestinian Trade Union Coalition for Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions [against Israel] (PTUC BDS). In July 2011, the London Transport Region RMT voted by 12 branches to one (one abstention) to fully support the PTUC BDS statement, including the call to sever links with Israel's Histadrut trade union federation, which supports discrimination against Palestinians. While the matter has been referred to the national RMT for consideration, London Transport Region offered this meeting as an opportunity to open the debate wider still within the trade union movement.
Read the PTUC BDS statement at http://www.bdsmovement.net/2011/ptuc-bds-formed-6912