13 August, 2008IMF welcomes an historic agreement between Israeli and Palestinian trade unions.
ISRAEL/PALESTINE: The Israeli national trade union centre Histadrut and the Palestinian General Federation of Trade Unions (PGFTU) reached a landmark agreement in August to protect the rights of Palestinian workers employed by Israeli employers. The unions, both affiliated to the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC), also agree to base future relations on negotiations, dialogue and joint initiatives to advance "fraternity and coexistence between the two peoples".
The key features of the agreement include the reimbursement by Histadrut to the PGFTU of the outstanding balance of union and legal representation fees paid since 1993 by Palestinians working for Israeli employers. In the future, at least 50% 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.
Implementation of the agreement, which was negotiated under the umbrella of the ITUC, will be overseen by a joint committee of the two organizations.
Marcello Malentacchi, general secretary of the International Metalworkers' Federation welcomed the agreement stating, "lasting peace can only be based on justice and the protection of the rights of all workers is indispensible condition."
"The IMF remains committed to supporting collaboration between metalworkers in Israel and Palestine in the quest for equitable solutions to the dramatic situation affecting workers in your region," added Malentacchi.