Israeli and Palestinian Trade Unions Reach Historic Agreement

by James Parks, Aug 7, 2008

The Israeli and Palestinian trade unions this week reached an historic agreement to protect the rights of Palestinian workers employed by Israeli employers. The pact between the Histadrut and the Palestinian General Federation of Trade Unions (PGFTU) calls for future relations between the two groups to be based on negotiations, dialogue and joint initiatives to advance “fraternity and coexistence between the two peoples.” 

Under the agreement, the Histadrut, Israel’s trade union federation, also will reimburse the PGFTU for the outstanding balance of union and legal representation fees paid since 1993 by Palestinians working for Israeli employers. In the future, at least 50 percent of the representation fees paid by Palestinians working for Israeli employers will be transferred to the PGFTU, to enable both organizations to provide representation, legal and other trade union services to the workers.

“We are very pleased that this agreement has now been reached,” says Histadrut Chairperson Ofer Eini.  

Every worker, whether of Israeli, Palestinian or other origin, must have full rights to the protections offered by international labor standards. The outcome of our dialogue with the PGFTU can only help achieve this, and help lay the foundations for future cooperation between Israeli and Palestinian trade unions and progress in our shared quest for justice, peace and prosperity for all in the region.

The new agreement builds on a 1995 agreement, which it had not been possible to fully implement in the intervening years.

PGFTU General Secretary Shaher Sae’d adds:

This removes a key obstacle to future cooperation and the full respect of the rights of Palestinian workers. Decent work is a foundation stone for political and economic justice, and we will now be in a position to devote even more attention to tackling the appalling state of the Palestinian economy and playing a fuller part in the quest for justice, fairness and democratic rights in the building of a Palestinian state.

Guy Ryder, general secretary of the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC), praised the agreement, saying:

This agreement is tremendously significant, at a time when the political authorities in Israel and Palestine and the international community are failing to find just and lasting solutions to the political impasse. It means that the PGFTU will be able to ensure much more effective representation for Palestinian workers, while those working for Israeli employers will also benefit. The agreement calls upon the ITUC and its affiliates to continue to support future cooperation, and we are fully committed to do this.

Both the Histadrut and the PGFTU are members of the ITUC, which represents 168 million workers in 155 countries and territories and has 311 national affiliates.

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