Palestine Forum urges NZ unions to adopt UK-style BDS

The Palestine Forum of New Zealand (PFNZ) has appealed to the New Zealand Council of Trade Unions Te Kauae Kaimahi (NZCTU) to take meaningful action supporting Palestinian rights. This call follows a unanimous decision by the UK's Trades Union Congress (TUC), representing over 5.3 million workers, to back a motion supporting the Palestinian-led Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement.

Forum founder and spokesperson Maher Nazzal stated that New Zealand workers and unions have a history of standing up for international justice and human rights. He said the UK movement had taken a clear position that solidarity must go beyond statements and involve collective action against complicity.

Call for a national conversation

The PFNZ is not asking one organisation to speak for everyone. Instead, it seeks to open a serious conversation within New Zealand's labour movement. The goal is to define what practical solidarity with Palestinian workers and people should look like. The forum is urging the NZCTU to consider what meaningful action the country's trade union movement can take.

Nazzal encouraged the NZCTU to engage with its affiliated unions, Palestinian representatives, and civil society organisations. He pointed to the UK as an example where trade unions can act collectively.

Specific demands for union action

The Palestine Forum's statement outlines several specific actions it wants the NZCTU to take. It calls for public consideration and support of Palestinian-led BDS initiatives. It demands a review of union investments, procurement, and relationships to identify links with companies involved in or benefiting from violations of Palestinian rights.

The forum also wants support for measures to end military and economic complicity with violations of international law. Other demands include strengthening solidarity with Palestinian trade unions and workers, supporting workplace and union-led initiatives for Palestinian rights, and raising these issues with the New Zealand government.

The UK precedent and government stance

The UK TUC motion calls for action to oppose what it describes as the catastrophic destruction of Gaza and Israeli settler violence in the occupied West Bank. It includes calls for an end to military cooperation and arms deals with Israel, wide-ranging sanctions, and divestment from companies complicit in violations of international law.

New Zealand has already joined international partners in sanctioning individuals and entities involved in financing and enabling settler violence in the occupied West Bank. The Palestine Forum said the question is whether New Zealand's civil society and trade union movements are prepared to build on that government position.

Nazzal emphasised that workers' solidarity has always crossed borders. He stated that Palestinian workers and trade unionists are part of the global labour movement. Historically, when workers elsewhere face injustice, trade unions have understood that solidarity means more than words. The forum is asking New Zealand's trade union movement to consider following the example now being set in Britain.