Category: international

Opinion: ‘I am determined and optimistic’ for the year ahead

By UNISON general secretary Christina McAnea

The start of 2025 brings into focus not only the scale of challenges that lie ahead, but more importantly, the many opportunities awaiting us too.

The change in government last year marked the beginning of a new chapter in our campaign for properly funded public services and fair treatment for all those that deliver them.

But although the ministers in charge understand the value of properly funded public services, the financial mess inherited from the last lot means our work is far from over.

Across the globe, the devastating situation in Gaza and the demand for a permanent ceasefire continues to be an international priority for our union. Hopes have been raised this week that a ceasefire may be achieved in the last few days of Joe Biden’s presidency. But in the last 15 months, approximately 46,000 Palestinians have been killed and 110,000 injured in Gaza. Public services, including healthcare, have been almost wiped out and over 80% of Gaza remains under evacuation orders.

Last May, when I visited Palestine, unions there told me how much our solidarity means. I know branches and activists will join us in our continued campaigning for an immediate ceasefire, full access to humanitarian assistance, the immediate and safe release of hostages and for the UK government to recognise Palestine officially and ultimately usher in a two-state solution.

Attacks on unions in Turkey have increased in recent months, with a number of prominent trade unionists arrested and detained for alleged terrorist offences. This includes Remzi Çal??kan, president of the municipal workers’ union D?SK/Genel-??. Thankfully, after international pressure, Remzi was released on Christmas Eve, but many others still face trumped-up charges.

When I attended the Heavy Penal Court in Ankara in 2022, I saw how our colleagues in the health union SES were being targeted for their union activities, in a highly politicised trial. Trade unionism is not a crime, and we must continue to demand the acquittal of our friends.

Back in the UK, while Labour gives us opportunities for dialogue at senior levels in Westminster that we’ve largely been denied since 2010, no one can afford to be complacent.

For our NHS workers, we need to persuade the government to think again on pay. Ministers must convene talks with unions and employers on the coming year’s wage rise and reform of outdated Agenda for Change salary scales. The government’s decision to continue to rely on the failed and discredited pay review body process is a huge mistake. This is especially the case when NHS staff will be key to the government’s plans to get the NHS back on its feet.

The Employment Rights Bill presents a crucial opportunity for positive change. Its many positives include protecting workers on zero-hours contracts and bringing union laws into the 21st century.  We also need to use our influence to push the government to set a clear direction to end outsourcing, which affects too many workers across the country.

This week I’ll be contacting the health secretary to ask him to intervene in the decision taken by the East Suffolk and North Essex Foundation Trust to privatise its cleaning, security, catering and porter jobs to Sodexo. This flies in the face of government promises to kickstart a wave of insourcing of privatised contracts.

I also want to make it clear that UNISON will not tolerate the mistreatment or exploitation of any worker. That includes migrant care workers who have travelled from overseas to help deliver a crucial service. We’re speaking to ministers regularly and will keep pushing for an end to discrimination, harassment, bullying and abuse.

Care workers hired from overseas have had money deducted from their wages to cover dubious fees, faced demands to repay thousands of pounds when they try to move jobs, and have been forced to pay extortionate rents for substandard accommodation. Many are also paid at illegal rates and do punishingly long working hours. All completely indefensible.

Earlier this month, the government announced an independent commission for adult social care is to be chaired by Baroness Casey to advise on how (not if) to deliver a national care service for England. This must work to a strict timeframe and deliver recommendations at the earliest possible opportunity.

Care workers, those who need care and their families have already been waiting many years for improvements that should have happened decades ago. UNISON has led the campaign for a national service that provides world-class care for everyone who needs it. More importantly, it must be a service that pays the kind of wages that can help turn around the staffing crisis currently causing so many problems in the sector. The government’s fair pay agreement is just the start of this process and we will do all we can to ensure the ministers keep care reform as the priority it is.

As I look ahead to the coming year, I am determined and optimistic. Our union’s strength lies in solidarity – standing together, supporting one another and fighting for what’s right. Whether it’s defending the NHS, protecting workers’ rights, or supporting union colleagues across the globe – 2025 will be a year of action and we will be at the heart of it. Together, we will continue to be the voice for public service workers and the communities they serve.

The article Opinion: ‘I am determined and optimistic’ for the year ahead first appeared on the UNISON National site.

Opinion: ‘We stand with the Hong Kong trade unionists’

By UNISON general secretary Christina McAnea

Today, 45 out of 47 trade unionists and pro-democracy leaders were sentenced in Hong Kong’s largest national security trial. Their unjust and extreme sentencing is alarming and UNISON strongly condemns the move, and calls for their immediate release.

They were arrested after taking part in an unofficial primary election to select a shortlist of candidates and were, today, given huge prison sentences of between four and 10 years.

Imagine being sent for a very lengthy stay in prison for standing in an election to ensure workers have a voice in Parliament. I can’t.

The 45 pro-democracy defenders include Carol Ng Man-yee (pictured above), the former chair of the TUC’s partner, the Hong Kong Confederation of Trade Unions (HKCTU), and Winnie Yu Wai-ming, former president of the Hospital Authority Employees Alliance. They were sentenced for ‘conspiring to commit subversion under the national security law for their participation in the democratic primary’.

I stand in firm solidarity with the 45 and have just written to Catherine West MP, the minister for Asia Pacific in the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office on the matter.

To explain the situation further, in 2020, 600,000 Hong Kong citizens took part in primary elections intended to determine a shortlist of candidates to avoid splitting the votes for the legislative council elections later that year. In January 2021, the 47 were arrested and charged under the July 2021 national security law, which had not even been enacted at the time of the primary elections.

Beijing had imposed the national security law in June 2020, following a year of pro-democracy protests and unrest due to growing authoritarian legislation in the territory. The law, which is vague and being interpreted very broadly by judges, criminalised subversion, secession, collusion with foreign forces and terrorist acts. It also includes disruption to any infrastructure.

Unsurprisingly, it led to the police acting with impunity and hundreds of arrests and dozens of civil society groups disappeared.

Winnie Yu, former president, Hospital Authority Employees Alliance

Winnie Yu, former president of the Hospital Authority Employees Alliance

The authorities say their law and actions have restored stability and peace to the city but in reality, it was the creeping introduction of authoritarian laws and violations of human and trade union rights that provoked the prolonged protests and since then, the collapse of civil society in the territory.

The violations are borne out by experts at the International Labour Organisation and the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, which also pointed out that detention of trade unionists without trial contravenes the principles of freedom of association.

Hearteningly though, yesterday, in the first meeting between the Chinese president and a British prime minister for six years, Keir Starmer raised human rights concerns, including in Hong Kong, with Chinese president Xi Jinping at the G20.

The Labour government has a real opportunity to keep hope alive within the Hong Kong community, including those that are now active in UNISON, and that’s why I’ve asked them to go further and:

  • strongly condemn the sentences and hold the Hong Kong government accountable
  • call for the immediate release of the 45 defendants and all others imprisoned due to political persecution
  • in line with the stance of the UN human rights committee and the previous statements of the UK government, reiterate its demand for the Hong Kong government to repeal the national security law
  • re-evaluate the status of the Hong Kong economic and trade office, including the privileges and immunities it enjoys, given that Hong Kong’s autonomy and freedoms have been completely eroded
  • ensure that this case, along with the current human rights situation in Hong Kong, is reflected in the outcome of China’s audit and the UK’s China policy.

Ivan Law, ex-president of the Hospital Authority Employees Alliance, now a British national overseas and UNSON member

Ivan Law, ex-president of the Hospital Authority Employees Alliance, now a British national overseas and UNSON member

I’ve also asked the government to use all mechanisms at its disposal to keep Hong Kong human and trade union activists safe if they are targeted extra-territorially by the Hong Kong government with arrest warrants and spy attempts.

As democracies lurch to the right around the world and China stiffens its grip on its citizens and on the Hong Kong territory, it’s more important than ever that we continue to stand up for workers and their unions, as well as pro-democracy activities everywhere.

The article Opinion: ‘We stand with the Hong Kong trade unionists’ first appeared on the UNISON National site.

Opinion: ‘We stand with the Hong Kong trade unionists’

By UNISON general secretary Christina McAnea

Today, 45 out of 47 trade unionists and pro-democracy leaders were sentenced in Hong Kong’s largest national security trial. Their unjust and extreme sentencing is alarming and UNISON strongly condemns the move, and calls for their immediate release.

They were arrested after taking part in an unofficial primary election to select a shortlist of candidates and were, today, given huge prison sentences of between four and 10 years.

Imagine being sent for a very lengthy stay in prison for standing in an election to ensure workers have a voice in Parliament. I can’t.

The 45 pro-democracy defenders include Carol Ng Man-yee (pictured above), the former chair of the TUC’s partner, the Hong Kong Confederation of Trade Unions (HKCTU), and Winnie Yu Wai-ming, former president of the Hospital Authority Employees Alliance. They were sentenced for ‘conspiring to commit subversion under the national security law for their participation in the democratic primary’.

I stand in firm solidarity with the 45 and have just written to Catherine West MP, the minister for Asia Pacific in the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office on the matter.

To explain the situation further, in 2020, 600,000 Hong Kong citizens took part in primary elections intended to determine a shortlist of candidates to avoid splitting the votes for the legislative council elections later that year. In January 2021, the 47 were arrested and charged under the July 2021 national security law, which had not even been enacted at the time of the primary elections.

Beijing had imposed the national security law in June 2020, following a year of pro-democracy protests and unrest due to growing authoritarian legislation in the territory. The law, which is vague and being interpreted very broadly by judges, criminalised subversion, secession, collusion with foreign forces and terrorist acts. It also includes disruption to any infrastructure.

Unsurprisingly, it led to the police acting with impunity and hundreds of arrests and dozens of civil society groups disappeared.

Winnie Yu, former president, Hospital Authority Employees Alliance

Winnie Yu, former president of the Hospital Authority Employees Alliance

The authorities say their law and actions have restored stability and peace to the city but in reality, it was the creeping introduction of authoritarian laws and violations of human and trade union rights that provoked the prolonged protests and since then, the collapse of civil society in the territory.

The violations are borne out by experts at the International Labour Organisation and the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, which also pointed out that detention of trade unionists without trial contravenes the principles of freedom of association.

Hearteningly though, yesterday, in the first meeting between the Chinese president and a British prime minister for six years, Keir Starmer raised human rights concerns, including in Hong Kong, with Chinese president Xi Jinping at the G20.

The Labour government has a real opportunity to keep hope alive within the Hong Kong community, including those that are now active in UNISON, and that’s why I’ve asked them to go further and:

  • strongly condemn the sentences and hold the Hong Kong government accountable
  • call for the immediate release of the 45 defendants and all others imprisoned due to political persecution
  • in line with the stance of the UN human rights committee and the previous statements of the UK government, reiterate its demand for the Hong Kong government to repeal the national security law
  • re-evaluate the status of the Hong Kong economic and trade office, including the privileges and immunities it enjoys, given that Hong Kong’s autonomy and freedoms have been completely eroded
  • ensure that this case, along with the current human rights situation in Hong Kong, is reflected in the outcome of China’s audit and the UK’s China policy.

Ivan Law, ex-president of the Hospital Authority Employees Alliance, now a British national overseas and UNSON member

Ivan Law, ex-president of the Hospital Authority Employees Alliance, now a British national overseas and UNSON member

I’ve also asked the government to use all mechanisms at its disposal to keep Hong Kong human and trade union activists safe if they are targeted extra-territorially by the Hong Kong government with arrest warrants and spy attempts.

As democracies lurch to the right around the world and China stiffens its grip on its citizens and on the Hong Kong territory, it’s more important than ever that we continue to stand up for workers and their unions, as well as pro-democracy activities everywhere.

The article Opinion: ‘We stand with the Hong Kong trade unionists’ first appeared on the UNISON National site.

Opinion: International law must be respected in the Middle East

By UNISON general secretary Christina McAnea

The devastating situation in the Middle East has escalated beyond our worst fears. The violence of the last year has only fuelled more violence, and now the region is on the precipice of a catastrophic regional war.

From the beginning of this latest conflict, UNISON’s main call has been for a ceasefire, first in Gaza and now in Lebanon. Conflict destroys lives and livelihoods, and without peace, there is little hope for human and workers’ rights.

In recent days, the conflict with Hezbollah has expanded from the border well into Lebanon, with Israeli troops invading the south of the country, while towns and cities, including the capital, Beirut, have been bombarded. Over 1.2 million people have already been displaced and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has warned of “a long war that will lead to destruction and suffering like we see in Gaza”.

While the United Nations has overwhelmingly supported resolutions condemning the violence and the world’s highest court has called for measures to protect civilians, world leaders have failed to take sufficient actions to end the crisis.

As the people of Palestine, Israel and the wider region enter the second year of this latest conflict, peace seems a very distant hope. In Gaza, over 41,500 Palestinians have been killed, with many more missing, presumed to be under the rubble. Almost the entire population of 2.1 million people has been displaced and 86% of Gaza has been placed under evacuation orders.

So called ‘safe zones’ are horrendously overcrowded and lack adequate water and sanitation, contributing to a surge in infectious diseases. Meanwhile, ceasefire talks have stalled, unlikely to resume until at least after the US election.

Restrictions on the freedom of movement of Palestinians in the West Bank have intensified, contributing to a significant increase rise in unemployment. About 600 Palestinians have been killed by the Israeli Defence Force and settlers, and at least 4,500 have been displaced due to the destruction of property.

The atrocities of 7 October have had a deeply traumatic and catastrophic impact on the people of Israel. The murder of 1,200 civilians and abduction of 251 hostages was a grave violation of international law and has been described as the worst disaster in Israel’s history.

Calls for a ceasefire deal to release the 101 hostages who remain unaccounted for remain unheeded, despite continued major protests led by the families of hostages in Israel. Israel has also come under attack from Iran and groups in Lebanon, Syria, Yemen, Gaza and Iraq aligned to the Iranian regime.

In the last three months we have seen some welcome steps from the new UK government to uphold international law, provide access to humanitarian assistance and limit the supply of arms; but these measures do not go far enough. We need the government to take further action to demand a ceasefire, including suspending the arms trade and the UK-Israel trade and partnership agreement until human rights and international law are respected.

When I visited Palestine this June to meet with trade unions and the Palestinian Authority (pictured above), their message was clear. They need an immediate ceasefire to end the bloodshed. But this must pave the way for a viable, contiguous Palestinian state alongside Israel to end the occupation and the violation of Palestinian rights which has fuelled the conflict in the Middle East for decades.

With the Israeli Knesset (parliament) overwhelmingly opposed to any form of Palestinian state we need the world’s governments, including our own, to recognise Palestine, end support for the settlements and ensure international law is fully respected.

UNISON members have lost family and friends or fear for their safety. Many have been affected by the devastating rise in antisemitism and Islamophobia. Even the cost of fuel and food has been affected.

UNISON was one of the first unions to call for a ceasefire, the release of hostages, full access to humanitarian assistance and for an end to the blockade. And we must continue making these demands as the critical first steps towards peace in the region and a viable Palestinian state alongside a safe and secure Israel.

The article Opinion: International law must be respected in the Middle East first appeared on the UNISON National site.

Opinion: International law must be respected in the Middle East

By UNISON general secretary Christina McAnea

The devastating situation in the Middle East has escalated beyond our worst fears. The violence of the last year has only fuelled more violence, and now the region is on the precipice of a catastrophic regional war.

From the beginning of this latest conflict, UNISON’s main call has been for a ceasefire, first in Gaza and now in Lebanon. Conflict destroys lives and livelihoods, and without peace, there is little hope for human and workers’ rights.

In recent days, the conflict with Hezbollah has expanded from the border well into Lebanon, with Israeli troops invading the south of the country, while towns and cities, including the capital, Beirut, have been bombarded. Over 1.2 million people have already been displaced and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has warned of “a long war that will lead to destruction and suffering like we see in Gaza”.

While the United Nations has overwhelmingly supported resolutions condemning the violence and the world’s highest court has called for measures to protect civilians, world leaders have failed to take sufficient actions to end the crisis.

As the people of Palestine, Israel and the wider region enter the second year of this latest conflict, peace seems a very distant hope. In Gaza, over 41,500 Palestinians have been killed, with many more missing, presumed to be under the rubble. Almost the entire population of 2.1 million people has been displaced and 86% of Gaza has been placed under evacuation orders.

So called ‘safe zones’ are horrendously overcrowded and lack adequate water and sanitation, contributing to a surge in infectious diseases. Meanwhile, ceasefire talks have stalled, unlikely to resume until at least after the US election.

Restrictions on the freedom of movement of Palestinians in the West Bank have intensified, contributing to a significant increase rise in unemployment. About 600 Palestinians have been killed by the Israeli Defence Force and settlers, and at least 4,500 have been displaced due to the destruction of property.

The atrocities of 7 October have had a deeply traumatic and catastrophic impact on the people of Israel. The murder of 1,200 civilians and abduction of 251 hostages was a grave violation of international law and has been described as the worst disaster in Israel’s history.

Calls for a ceasefire deal to release the 101 hostages who remain unaccounted for remain unheeded, despite continued major protests led by the families of hostages in Israel. Israel has also come under attack from Iran and groups in Lebanon, Syria, Yemen, Gaza and Iraq aligned to the Iranian regime.

In the last three months we have seen some welcome steps from the new UK government to uphold international law, provide access to humanitarian assistance and limit the supply of arms; but these measures do not go far enough. We need the government to take further action to demand a ceasefire, including suspending the arms trade and the UK-Israel trade and partnership agreement until human rights and international law are respected.

When I visited Palestine this June to meet with trade unions and the Palestinian Authority (pictured above), their message was clear. They need an immediate ceasefire to end the bloodshed. But this must pave the way for a viable, contiguous Palestinian state alongside Israel to end the occupation and the violation of Palestinian rights which has fuelled the conflict in the Middle East for decades.

With the Israeli Knesset (parliament) overwhelmingly opposed to any form of Palestinian state we need the world’s governments, including our own, to recognise Palestine, end support for the settlements and ensure international law is fully respected.

UNISON members have lost family and friends or fear for their safety. Many have been affected by the devastating rise in antisemitism and Islamophobia. Even the cost of fuel and food has been affected.

UNISON was one of the first unions to call for a ceasefire, the release of hostages, full access to humanitarian assistance and for an end to the blockade. And we must continue making these demands as the critical first steps towards peace in the region and a viable Palestinian state alongside a safe and secure Israel.

The article Opinion: International law must be respected in the Middle East first appeared on the UNISON National site.

‘Justice for the Palestinian people is justice for all’

The highlight of this year’s national delegate conference was a speech from Palestinian ambassador to the United Kingdom Dr Husam Zomlot (pictured), who was welcomed with a standing ovation.

Thanking the union for its warmth, he began with an acknowledgement of UNISON general secretary Christina McAnea’s recent trip to the West Bank. “I know Christina got a taste of what it means to live under Israel’s military occupation.

“You may think it’s the deadly military operations in Gaza that are the worst part,” he continued. “But since October, Israel has killed over 500 people, including over 100 children, in the occupied West Bank. Of course these killings, along with house demolitions, are part of the rampant settler terrorism that has displaced more than 1,000 people from their homes and villages in the last eight months.”

Dr Zomlot described life for Palestinians in the West Bank as “the constant denial of one’s humanity and dignity. The constant fear of arbitrary killings and detention, of roadblocks and checkpoints and never knowing if you can get to work or if your children can get to school. Never being able to plan a day, month or year because the Israeli military pays no attention to your rights of life. Constant daily humiliation is what military occupation is really about.

“But we, the Palestinian people, are hard to break.”

UNISON’s solidarity with Palestine

He went on to detail the history of trade union solidarity with Palestine. “Forty-four years ago, it was trade unions in Dundee that forged the first ever twinning agreement between a Palestinian city and a UK one. Dundee was twinned with Nablus. Union to union, solidarity has only been strengthened over these decades and we share values of justice for all.

“UNISON was one of the first unions to call for an immediate and permanent ceasefire in Gaza and long demanded that international law be applied to Palestine. That is not a gift or favour, but a right. Our rights are our rights, and we have been denied these rights for 76 years.”

Dr Zomlot praised UNISON’s work over the years to support Palestinian rights. “I know how dedicated you were in opposing the government’s boycott ban, a very clear attempt to interfere with British democracy and to shield Israeli settlements from accountability. 

“UNISON over the years has worked closely with Palestinian NGOs, trade unions and human rights organisations. UNISON works for Medical Aid for Palestinians in the UK, with the Red Cross, with Defense for Children, to boost emergency appeals.

“UNISON works with the global and European trade union movement to build support for Palestine. Your efforts to ensure accountability, to spread solidarity and stand with justice and the Palestinian people are working. Your efforts are working.”

Dr Zomlot then went on to describe the difference between working people in the UK and successive governments that have refused to recognise Palestine as a state.

“We have suffered ethnic cleansing and we are now suffering genocide. Yet we have had successive British governments say they will recognise a Palestinian state when the time is right, when it will aid the peace process.

“What peace process? Should we wait for the Israeli military to come to its own senses? Should we wait for colonial Israel to settle in all the territory? Shall we wait for apartheid Israel to force everyone out of Gaza and the West Bank?

“This is a question of international law, resolutions and rights. It is a question of humanity.

“Why should we live a minute longer under Israel’s illegal, immoral and violent occupation? We call on the British government to recognise the state of Palestine immediately and join the 146 countries in the world that have done so.”

Dr Husam Zomlot addresses national delegate conference

Dr Husam Zomlot addresses UNISON conference. Credit: Marcus Rose

The UK’s responsibility to Palestinians

Dr Zomlot turned his focus to Britain’s role in establishing and perpetuating the occupation of Palestine. Referring to the Balfour declaration, a public statement issued in 1917 by the British government that declared Palestine should become ‘a national home for Jewish people’, Dr Zumlot said, “Britain, in 1917, directly contributed to our agony. Britain promised our land without any consultation with the native population that had lived there for millenia.”

He called for the UK to recognise Palestine as a state and expressed his dismay at the UK’s abstention on a 2012 UN general assembly vote that saw the majority of the world vote recognise a Palestinian state.

“This isn’t about Palestinian people. This is about the United Kingdom’s historical role and moral, legal and political responsibility. But whether the United Kingdom will recognise the state of Palestine or not, Palestine will be free. Palestine will be independent. We will be sovereign. So it’s better for the UK to do the right thing, not to drag its feet, and recognise our right to return and equality.”

Gaza: famine, destruction and mass killings

Dr Zomlot gave a grim overview of the current situation in Gaza, where over 50% of all buildings have been destroyed along with 70% of homes, 80% of schools and all universities. 

“Just four of Gaza’s 36 hospitals are only partially operating. Factories, industries, ministries, libraries, mosques, churches, bakeries and Gaza’s central archive containing over 150 years of historical documents all died. The destruction has been total and the killings have been unconscionable: over 37,000 dead and the majority are women and children, with thousands more buried under rubble and thousands more projected to die from famine and disease.”

“Are we no longer shocked that Israel has imposed a famine on 2.3 million people? Have we normalised industrial scale killings? Have we normalised mass destruction?”

Hope

However, he also spoke of the hope that Palestinians have. “There is hope in the incredible resilience and heroism of our people in Gaza. And the people like the Palestinian trainee lawyer, Noor Nassar, who has started a mobile school to provide some education to the 625,000 school age children who have received no education at all this year.”

“There is hope in our people returning to pray for Eid at the historic Omari mosque in Gaza City.

“There is hope in our courageous and brave doctors and nurses who, despite the threat of being targeted, killed, kidnapped; despite the threat of detention and torture, and despite the lack of electricity, fuel and medicine, continue to perform medical miracles. Over 300 doctors and nurses have been abducted, and at least two doctors have been killed in detention.”

Dr Zomlot said he was not surprised that the Israeli military had targeted the medical and education sectors. “One is necessary for life, and one is necessary for a better future. When you target health and education, you target a people’s means of survival. The Palestinian people are an educated people. Education has been our foremost means of resistance. Palestinians have some of the highest literacy rates and highest per capita PhD rates in the world.”

Dr Zomlot defiantly said, “We are not going anywhere. We have recovered before and we will recover again. But this time must be the last time that we see our children being slain in mass killings; the last time to see our mothers murdered, our homes destroyed, our schools bombed. This should be the last time we allow a mass murder of our people. For that, we must not just recover. We must secure our freedom and with it, a sustainable peace.

“I see hope in the International Court of Justice, which has officially put Israel on trial for genocide following South Africa’s case against Israel. I see hope in the International Criminal Court, who have levelled charges of war crimes against senior Israeli leaders for the first time in history. We’re waiting for the arrest warrants to be issued by the end of this week.

“We see hope in the UN secretary general, Antonio Guterres, putting Israel on a blacklist of countries for its harsh treatment of children.

“The UN’s Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory said Israel is one of the most criminal armies in the world.” 

He also said he found hope in the mass demonstrations in solidarity with Palestine, particularly in the student movement in the US and UK. “They call them students but I think we should call them teachers: teachers of humanity.

“History tells us that if you have the student movement and the labour movement, then you’re in the right direction; it’s those two movements that always press for change and always succeed.

“I truly believe that the eyes of the world will not be diverted any longer. Once you have seen what is happening, you cannot unsee this. You will not forget. We will not forget.”

“There has to be equality for every Palestinian wherever they live; and non-Palestinian for that matter. I assure you, the Palestinian people are ready and able.”

‘Justice for the Palestinian people is justice for all’

Dr Zomlot closed his speech in honour of the memories of the dead children who have featured in shocking footage witnessed by millions around the world: “Sidra, the girl whose body was left dangling from a wall. She was my wife’s cousin.

“Hind Rajab, the six-year-old who was left alone calling for help. Ahmed Al-Najar, the 18-month old beheaded baby.

“We must not waver in our efforts to ensure a future for those they left behind. This is how we honour the slain children of Gaza and innocent people all over the world.

“Justice for the Palestinian people is justice for all. Thank you for your solidarity.”

Dr Zomlot’s speech was met with a standing ovation from conference delegates, who joined for a group photo with ‘ceasefire now’ placards’.

The article ‘Justice for the Palestinian people is justice for all’ first appeared on the UNISON National site.

‘Justice for the Palestinian people is justice for all’

The highlight of this year’s national delegate conference was a speech from Palestinian ambassador to the United Kingdom Dr Husam Zomlot (pictured), who was welcomed with a standing ovation.

Thanking the union for its warmth, he began with an acknowledgement of UNISON general secretary Christina McAnea’s recent trip to the West Bank. “I know Christina got a taste of what it means to live under Israel’s military occupation.

“You may think it’s the deadly military operations in Gaza that are the worst part,” he continued. “But since October, Israel has killed over 500 people, including over 100 children, in the occupied West Bank. Of course these killings, along with house demolitions, are part of the rampant settler terrorism that has displaced more than 1,000 people from their homes and villages in the last eight months.”

Dr Zomlot described life for Palestinians in the West Bank as “the constant denial of one’s humanity and dignity. The constant fear of arbitrary killings and detention, of roadblocks and checkpoints and never knowing if you can get to work or if your children can get to school. Never being able to plan a day, month or year because the Israeli military pays no attention to your rights of life. Constant daily humiliation is what military occupation is really about.

“But we, the Palestinian people, are hard to break.”

UNISON’s solidarity with Palestine

He went on to detail the history of trade union solidarity with Palestine. “Forty-four years ago, it was trade unions in Dundee that forged the first ever twinning agreement between a Palestinian city and a UK one. Dundee was twinned with Nablus. Union to union, solidarity has only been strengthened over these decades and we share values of justice for all.

“UNISON was one of the first unions to call for an immediate and permanent ceasefire in Gaza and long demanded that international law be applied to Palestine. That is not a gift or favour, but a right. Our rights are our rights, and we have been denied these rights for 76 years.”

Dr Zomlot praised UNISON’s work over the years to support Palestinian rights. “I know how dedicated you were in opposing the government’s boycott ban, a very clear attempt to interfere with British democracy and to shield Israeli settlements from accountability. 

“UNISON over the years has worked closely with Palestinian NGOs, trade unions and human rights organisations. UNISON works for Medical Aid for Palestinians in the UK, with the Red Cross, with Defense for Children, to boost emergency appeals.

“UNISON works with the global and European trade union movement to build support for Palestine. Your efforts to ensure accountability, to spread solidarity and stand with justice and the Palestinian people are working. Your efforts are working.”

Dr Zomlot then went on to describe the difference between working people in the UK and successive governments that have refused to recognise Palestine as a state.

“We have suffered ethnic cleansing and we are now suffering genocide. Yet we have had successive British governments say they will recognise a Palestinian state when the time is right, when it will aid the peace process.

“What peace process? Should we wait for the Israeli military to come to its own senses? Should we wait for colonial Israel to settle in all the territory? Shall we wait for apartheid Israel to force everyone out of Gaza and the West Bank?

“This is a question of international law, resolutions and rights. It is a question of humanity.

“Why should we live a minute longer under Israel’s illegal, immoral and violent occupation? We call on the British government to recognise the state of Palestine immediately and join the 146 countries in the world that have done so.”

Dr Husam Zomlot addresses national delegate conference

Dr Husam Zomlot addresses UNISON conference. Credit: Marcus Rose

The UK’s responsibility to Palestinians

Dr Zomlot turned his focus to Britain’s role in establishing and perpetuating the occupation of Palestine. Referring to the Balfour declaration, a public statement issued in 1917 by the British government that declared Palestine should become ‘a national home for Jewish people’, Dr Zumlot said, “Britain, in 1917, directly contributed to our agony. Britain promised our land without any consultation with the native population that had lived there for millenia.”

He called for the UK to recognise Palestine as a state and expressed his dismay at the UK’s abstention on a 2012 UN general assembly vote that saw the majority of the world vote recognise a Palestinian state.

“This isn’t about Palestinian people. This is about the United Kingdom’s historical role and moral, legal and political responsibility. But whether the United Kingdom will recognise the state of Palestine or not, Palestine will be free. Palestine will be independent. We will be sovereign. So it’s better for the UK to do the right thing, not to drag its feet, and recognise our right to return and equality.”

Gaza: famine, destruction and mass killings

Dr Zomlot gave a grim overview of the current situation in Gaza, where over 50% of all buildings have been destroyed along with 70% of homes, 80% of schools and all universities. 

“Just four of Gaza’s 36 hospitals are only partially operating. Factories, industries, ministries, libraries, mosques, churches, bakeries and Gaza’s central archive containing over 150 years of historical documents all died. The destruction has been total and the killings have been unconscionable: over 37,000 dead and the majority are women and children, with thousands more buried under rubble and thousands more projected to die from famine and disease.”

“Are we no longer shocked that Israel has imposed a famine on 2.3 million people? Have we normalised industrial scale killings? Have we normalised mass destruction?”

Hope

However, he also spoke of the hope that Palestinians have. “There is hope in the incredible resilience and heroism of our people in Gaza. And the people like the Palestinian trainee lawyer, Noor Nassar, who has started a mobile school to provide some education to the 625,000 school age children who have received no education at all this year.”

“There is hope in our people returning to pray for Eid at the historic Omari mosque in Gaza City.

“There is hope in our courageous and brave doctors and nurses who, despite the threat of being targeted, killed, kidnapped; despite the threat of detention and torture, and despite the lack of electricity, fuel and medicine, continue to perform medical miracles. Over 300 doctors and nurses have been abducted, and at least two doctors have been killed in detention.”

Dr Zomlot said he was not surprised that the Israeli military had targeted the medical and education sectors. “One is necessary for life, and one is necessary for a better future. When you target health and education, you target a people’s means of survival. The Palestinian people are an educated people. Education has been our foremost means of resistance. Palestinians have some of the highest literacy rates and highest per capita PhD rates in the world.”

Dr Zomlot defiantly said, “We are not going anywhere. We have recovered before and we will recover again. But this time must be the last time that we see our children being slain in mass killings; the last time to see our mothers murdered, our homes destroyed, our schools bombed. This should be the last time we allow a mass murder of our people. For that, we must not just recover. We must secure our freedom and with it, a sustainable peace.

“I see hope in the International Court of Justice, which has officially put Israel on trial for genocide following South Africa’s case against Israel. I see hope in the International Criminal Court, who have levelled charges of war crimes against senior Israeli leaders for the first time in history. We’re waiting for the arrest warrants to be issued by the end of this week.

“We see hope in the UN secretary general, Antonio Guterres, putting Israel on a blacklist of countries for its harsh treatment of children.

“The UN’s Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory said Israel is one of the most criminal armies in the world.” 

He also said he found hope in the mass demonstrations in solidarity with Palestine, particularly in the student movement in the US and UK. “They call them students but I think we should call them teachers: teachers of humanity.

“History tells us that if you have the student movement and the labour movement, then you’re in the right direction; it’s those two movements that always press for change and always succeed.

“I truly believe that the eyes of the world will not be diverted any longer. Once you have seen what is happening, you cannot unsee this. You will not forget. We will not forget.”

“There has to be equality for every Palestinian wherever they live; and non-Palestinian for that matter. I assure you, the Palestinian people are ready and able.”

‘Justice for the Palestinian people is justice for all’

Dr Zomlot closed his speech in honour of the memories of the dead children who have featured in shocking footage witnessed by millions around the world: “Sidra, the girl whose body was left dangling from a wall. She was my wife’s cousin.

“Hind Rajab, the six-year-old who was left alone calling for help. Ahmed Al-Najar, the 18-month old beheaded baby.

“We must not waver in our efforts to ensure a future for those they left behind. This is how we honour the slain children of Gaza and innocent people all over the world.

“Justice for the Palestinian people is justice for all. Thank you for your solidarity.”

Dr Zomlot’s speech was met with a standing ovation from conference delegates, who joined for a group photo with ‘ceasefire now’ placards’.

The article ‘Justice for the Palestinian people is justice for all’ first appeared on the UNISON National site.

Statement in solidarity with student protests for Gaza

UNISON sends its solidarity to all those who are peacefully protesting on university campuses here in the UK and around the world, in support of a ceasefire in Gaza and justice and rights for the Palestinian people.

UNISON supports these calls and has consistently campaigned for an end to the occupation and for a viable Palestinian state alongside Israel.

Peaceful protests, encampments and occupations on university campuses have played an important role in many struggles against injustices in the world.

From opposing the war in Vietnam and apartheid in South Africa to campaigning for justice for Palestinians and for divestment from companies involved the occupation and the violation of Palestinian rights. They are an appropriate response to the atrocities we have witnessed over the last seven months.

UNISON is appalled by and commits to tackling the unprecedented increase in antisemitism and Islamophobia on campuses and in our communities since 7 October.

Jewish students and staff have faced an increase in antisemitic abuse and attacks and have been left feeling isolated and vulnerable.

Islamophobia is also on the rise and many Muslim staff and students fear retaliation for supporting pro-Palestinian protests.

All students and staff, many of whom are UNISON members, must have the right to study, work and live their lives without discrimination or fear.

UNISON looks towards peaceful protests to bring together people from all backgrounds in common cause in support of a ceasefire and end the occupation. We condemn the violent response against some protestors, particularly in the USA, and call for these attacks to be investigated and prosecuted.

Finally, we encourage UNISON branches and members to support peaceful protests in support of a ceasefire in Gaza and justice and rights for the Palestinian people, and to send local solidarity messages.

The article Statement in solidarity with student protests for Gaza first appeared on the UNISON National site.

Statement in solidarity with student protests for Gaza

UNISON sends its solidarity to all those who are peacefully protesting on university campuses here in the UK and around the world, in support of a ceasefire in Gaza and justice and rights for the Palestinian people.

UNISON supports these calls and has consistently campaigned for an end to the occupation and for a viable Palestinian state alongside Israel.

Peaceful protests, encampments and occupations on university campuses have played an important role in many struggles against injustices in the world.

From opposing the war in Vietnam and apartheid in South Africa to campaigning for justice for Palestinians and for divestment from companies involved the occupation and the violation of Palestinian rights. They are an appropriate response to the atrocities we have witnessed over the last seven months.

UNISON is appalled by and commits to tackling the unprecedented increase in antisemitism and Islamophobia on campuses and in our communities since 7 October.

Jewish students and staff have faced an increase in antisemitic abuse and attacks and have been left feeling isolated and vulnerable.

Islamophobia is also on the rise and many Muslim staff and students fear retaliation for supporting pro-Palestinian protests.

All students and staff, many of whom are UNISON members, must have the right to study, work and live their lives without discrimination or fear.

UNISON looks towards peaceful protests to bring together people from all backgrounds in common cause in support of a ceasefire and end the occupation. We condemn the violent response against some protestors, particularly in the USA, and call for these attacks to be investigated and prosecuted.

Finally, we encourage UNISON branches and members to support peaceful protests in support of a ceasefire in Gaza and justice and rights for the Palestinian people, and to send local solidarity messages.

The article Statement in solidarity with student protests for Gaza first appeared on the UNISON National site.

Proposals that seek to limit the right to peaceful protest must be rejected, says UNISON

UNISON is extremely concerned at recent reports that Lord Walney, the government’s independent adviser on political violence and disruption, has proposed that MPs, councillors and Labour-affiliated unions cut ties and no longer engage with the Palestine Solidarity Campaign.

UNISON completely opposes these proposals and limits on the right to peaceful protest, and urges the government and opposition parties to reject them.

The Palestine Solidarity Campaign does not support protests outside the homes of elected representatives.

UNISON defends the right to peaceful protest outside MPs offices, town halls and Parliament. It also upholds the right of MPs and their staff to work without fear of intimidation or harassment.

UNISON was one of the first UK unions to demand a ceasefire in Gaza. It has also repeatedly called for full access to humanitarian assistance, the immediate and safe release of hostages and an end to the blockade of Gaza.

The union has encouraged branches and members to participate in peaceful protests in support of these demands and appealed for support for the emergency medical response in both Palestine and Israel.

The situation in Palestine and Israel has always been an international priority for UNISON and the union has consistently called for an end to the occupation and for a viable, contiguous Palestinian state alongside Israel.

UNISON condemns the appalling rise in antisemitism and Islamophobia seen in recent months.

The article Proposals that seek to limit the right to peaceful protest must be rejected, says UNISON first appeared on the UNISON National site.