A ceasefire has been in effect in Gaza since October 10, but Israel has not stopped its brutal violence. In the span of three weeks, it has killed more than 220 Palestinians. On Tuesday, it massacred more than 100 people in 24 hours. Israel continues to refuse to let in the amount of aid agreed in the ceasefire. It is blocking materials and equipment for reconstruction and large-scale medical evacuations.
In the occupied West Bank, Israeli soldiers and settlers continue to attack the Palestinian people and their property with impunity. They have killed more than 1,000 Palestinians, including 213 children, since October 7, 2023. Just on October 16, Israeli soldiers shot dead a nine-year-old child while he was playing football with friends.
A ceasefire clearly will not stop the killing as long as Israel receives political, military and logistical support from the West to continue its occupation and colonisation of Palestine. Two years of street protests throughout the world have sought to pressure governments to reverse their position on Israel, but they have failed to achieve significant change. Large-scale labour mobilisation may be the answer. Labour unions, particularly in Europe, are uniquely positioned to play a central role in undermining their governments’ support for Israel. Given the active trade between Israel and European countries and the logistical significance of European ports, workers in many sectors could make a difference by organising for Palestine.
Why labour action is a powerful tool: Over the past two years, millions of people have marched across Europe, yet governments have largely ignored calls to end all support for Israel. Even the Irish government, despite its vocal support for Palestinian rights, engages in large-scale trade with Israel. Ireland was Israel’s third largest importer in 2024.
Public marches often serve as a pressure valve, channelling dissent and lowering pressure on governments to change policy. Industrial action, however, is different. Workers drive the economy. When they refuse to carry out their duties, the consequences can be politically and economically costly.
Unlike protest marches, strikes and industrial actions can paralyse supply chains, raise production costs and force concessions. Unions have the organisational experience to escalate actions strategically – from localised slowdowns to national-scale strikes – turning economic disruptions into political pressure. In liberal democracies, unions remain the most effective instrument through which people can force governments to act. And there is plenty of evidence of that in recent history.
For example, labour unions in Western countries played an active role in challenging the apartheid regime in South Africa. The Irish anti-apartheid strike at Dunnes Stores in July 1984 when workers refused to handle South African goods in protest against apartheid became a landmark in the history of workers’ struggles. Similarly, in November 1984, San Francisco dockworkers took a stand by refusing to unload cargo from South Africa.
These and other instances of solidarity action by workers expanded the momentum of the anti-apartheid movement in the West, which ultimately led to governments officially imposing sanctions on the apartheid regime.
Excerpted: ‘How labour unions in Europe can help end Israel’s genocide in Gaza’. Courtesy: Aljazeera.com