12 October, 2007PGFTU asks international trade union movement to support their effort to rebuild a democratic and strong trade union able to guarantee respect of metalworkers' rights.
PALESTINE: The General Secretary of the IMF went to Nablus in the first week of October to meet with the leadership of the Palestinian General Federation of Trade Unions (PGFTU). The visit was meant to express the solidarity of the IMF to its affiliate metalworkers' union in Palestine.
The lives of all Palestinian workers and their families are severely hit by the increasing restrictions on movements of people and the dramatic isolation of the Gaza strip and the West Bank. As a consequence unemployment has reached the level of 55 per cent in Nablus (from an 11 per cent before the year 2000), and possibly more than 65 per cent in Gaza. Most productive activities -- particularly in metal working industries -- are paralysed or severely undermined by restrictions on the import of raw materials and components. Unless developments take place in the peace process with the lifting of barriers and the provision of work permits in Israel there do not seem to be real prospects for development and unemployment will remain the key problem for Palestinian workers.
In Gaza the present situation makes the protection of the workers' basic needs extremely difficult. Workers lack any assistance on fundamental issues such as health insurance. The metalworkers of PGFTU are re-organising their structures to overcome the obstacles linked to the present political situation. Their main request to the international trade union movement is for support in their effort to rebuild a democratic and strong trade union able to guarantee respect of the metalworkers' fundamental rights and minimum wages.
An issue of special concern for PGFTU is the lack of any juridical protection for Palestinian workers employed in Israel where they can only be represented by Israeli lawyers, with costs that are unaffordable for them. For this reason their key priority remains the implementation of the agreement signed with the Israeli trade union congress, Histadrut, in March 1995. They would welcome the assistance of the IMF in setting a clear agenda for dialogue with the metalworkers' union of Histadrut around the fundamental issues of concern for Palestinian workers.
Like other Global Union Federations, the IMF is committed to support the Palestinian trade union movement to defend workers right, improve organising and employment conditions, create jobs and strengthen democratic unions.
It was agreed that the IMF will assist its Palestinian affiliate in drawing up a strategic plan for metalworkers and will appeal to the solidarity of metalworkers' unions in all regions in support of their Palestinian sisters and brothers.
The IMF is discussing with the metalworkers of Histadrut the scheduling of a delegation of the IMF Executive Committee to visit the metalworkers of both countries to help re-open a dialogue between them in the interest of all their members.