A national day of action for Palestine has been called by rank-and-file National Tertiary Education Union (NTEU) members in the NSW division for September 10.
After nearly two years of genocide, rank and file unionists continue to protest for sanctions on Israel despite facing two major obstacles — draconian industrial laws that prohibit workers from striking and union leaderships’ failure to support member-led Palestine solidarity initiatives.
While a Australian Council of Trade Union statement in May did call for targeted sanctions, most unions have not followed this up with action, nor even a concerted effort at member mobilisation and/or education.
As Israel’s starvation genocide continues in Gaza, rank and file unionists are demanding their union officials act.
Pressure from union activists meant that many union officials did endorse the Harbour Bridge March and the August 24 March for Palestine. Some even helped to mobilise contingents and provide union flags and placards.
But union support for weekly or fortnightly mass Palestine solidarity actions has been uneven. There was only a small official union presence in the August 24 national day of action, outside of Gadigal Country/Sydney and Naarm/Melbourne. In Kaurna Yerta/Adelaide, rank and file members struggled to get officials to release union flags for the rallies, or promote the rally to the membership.
This is the reason for the national call-out. Strong, cross-union and member-led activism is needed to put pressure on Labor to enact sanctions on Israel.
NTEU members in the NSW and Victorian divisions have worked hard to get officials to endorse the protest, as well as reaching out to other unions to participate.
NTEU members from the University of Technology Sydney and University of Sydney branches will leave work early to march to the Defence Department, where they will demand sanctions on Israel. Staff from other campuses such as University of New South Wales will join. The Maritime Union of Australia has endorsed the rally.
NTEU for Palestine Adelaide and Unionists for Palestine South Australia have called a vigil against Scholasticide on the day. Community Legal Workers United and Australia Services Union (ASU) members in Victoria have called a community sector strike and walkout for September 10, with a rally at 1pm at the State Library, where they will be joined by activists from the NTEU, MUA, ASU, Community and Public Sector Union and the Media Entertainment and Arts Alliance. The rally is demanding Labor take concrete steps to stop Israel’s genocide.
[Markela is a member of the National Tertiary Education Union and Socialist Alliance.]