The ‘Block Everything for Palestine’ movement in Italy is a dramatic turning point in the world situation. Millions of workers have partaken in strikes, demonstrations and blockades – a political strike movement against the government’s complicity in genocide.
This movement must act as a positive wake up call to the trade union leaders in Britain, whose action on the genocide has so far remained passive.
In Italy too, the leaders of the CGIL – Italy’s largest trade union confederation – tried to resist mass direct action. They were forced to join in with the movement after hundreds of thousands took action on 22 September, in response to a call by the smaller USB union.
This highlights the role both of the heavy battalions of the working class – in Britain, this means Unite, GMB and Unison – who should be coordinating such a campaign; but also the role that smaller, more militant unions can play to get the ball rolling.
We therefore invite our members, readers and supporters to pass the motion below at all levels of the trade unions.
Sceptics will respond that such a movement is impossible in Britain. In reality, Starmer’s government is crumbling, whereas the already massive Palestine movement could easily tap into the wider anger in society. Such a movement would sweep away all obstacles in its path once set in motion – defeating the anti-trade union laws in the same movement.
It is therefore high time that Britain’s trade union leaders got off their backside, and led a mass campaign to bring down Starmer’s genocidal government!
Access a Google document version of this model motion here.
This [branch/trade union] notes that:
- The Israeli state is committing genocide in Gaza.
- On 1-3 October Israel blocked the Sumud Aid Flotilla, a civilian initiative delivering aid to Gaza.
- In response, European workers came out in force to shut down the economy. In Italy, the trade unions called a general strike under the slogan “Block Everything”. Student walkouts have been organised internationally.
- Italian dockworkers had already taken strike action, refusing to handle cargo for the Israeli war machine. They had taken the initiative to call people onto the streets, calling successful mass demonstrations to support blockades of shipments.
- On 26 September and 27 September, Genoan dockers organised a conference of dockers from all over Europe to discuss how to coordinate a workers’ boycott of Israel.
- On 3 October, Italian workers engaged in a political general strike of international solidarity against the ongoing genocide in Gaza – with millions joining industrial action, mass demonstrations, and blockades.
- The movement in Italy has united the working class, the youth and behind them other layers in society.
This [branch/trade union] believes that:
- The movement of Italian workers has gone beyond exercising moral pressure on governments. They have proven that mass, direct action by the labour movement is possible and necessary.
- Ending the genocide taking place is an urgent task. Given our government’s complicity in the genocide, this task now falls to ordinary workers and young people, without whose permission nothing in society happens.
- Moreover, the slogan of the general strike – ‘Block Everything’ – is borrowed from the massive French anti-austerity strike. The same ruling establishment attacking workers with austerity at home are supporting genocide in Palestine.
- The struggle needed to free Palestine is the same struggle that is needed to fund our schools, save the NHS, and build a welfare state that lifts our working class out of misery and degradation.
- The anti-trade union laws that obstruct our ability to take action against the ongoing genocide are the same anti-trade union laws that have defanged our movement and allowed austerity to go unchallenged.
- It is now this union’s responsibility to challenge these laws and force their repeal. British workers must ‘strike like an Italian’ to challenge the state!
- Every year at our conference, this union passes motions restating our support for Palestinian liberation.
- It is now this union’s responsibility to take the lead in ending our government’s support for imperialist genocide.
This [branch/trade union] resolves to:
- Build for a mass movement of walkouts and strikes amongst all workers. From the branch to the top levels of the TUC, the labour movement must start a campaign in all workplaces in support of such action. The starting point is to explain why only mass action can create the necessary force to overwhelm this government and render its anti-union laws a dead letter.
- Work with other trade unions/student unions to coordinate this campaign.
- Work with other trade unions/student unions to organise a workers’ boycott, (amounting to a full trade embargo of Israel).
