The Palestinian General Federation of Trade Unions (PGFTU), also called the Palestine General Federation of Trade Unions or Palestinian Trade Union Federation (and, briefly, General Trade Union Federation in Palestine), is a national trade union center in the Palestinian Territories. It has an estimated membership of 290,000, and is affiliated with the International Trade Union Confederation. The union in its current form is historically aligned with Fatah, but other parties have also worked within its organization."Palestinian union hit on all sides", al-Jazeera, 14 July 2007, 04:26, http://www.aljazeera.com/news/middleeast/2007/07/2008525172856148863.html.
The PGFTU traces its modern history to 1965, and its origins to the Palestinian labour movement of the 1920s. Its current general secretary is Shaher Saed, who has held the position for many years. The PGFTU has not held open elections since 1981,Joost R. Hiltermann. "Mass Mobilization under Occupation: The Emerging Trade Union Movement in the West Bank"; MERIP Reports, No. 136/137, West Bank, Gaza, Israel: Marching toward Civil War (Oct. - Dec., 1985), pp. 26-31Joost R. Hiltermann. "Behind the Intifada"; Princeton University Press (January 25, 1993) for which it has been criticized by independent unionists as well as PGFTU insiders.Sos Nissen. "Anything but Workers in the Palestinian Trade Unions"; News from Within, April, 1996"Palestinian Workers Claim Their Rights in Gaza Amidst Violence and Political Chaos" ; AdvocacyNet News Bulletin 94, March 29, 2007
A 2007 report in al-Jazeera indicates that the PGFTU receives most of its funding from Saudi Arabia, Syria and Egypt, as well as from organisations such as the Red Cross. Saed argues in the same report that his union has aided more than 250,000 Palestinians with both work and financial support."Palestinian union hit on all sides", al-Jazeera, 14 July 2007, 04:26.
History
Early years and the First Intifada
The early years of the PGFTU were marked by fragmentation and political division. As'ad Ghanem has written that the West Bank General Federation definitively seceded from its parent Jordanian body in 1969. A new General Federation of Palestinian Labour Unions was established in 1973, due in large part to the efforts of the Communist Party, but it was not particularly successful and split into rival factions in 1981. After this period, unions aligned with Fatah, the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine and Communists all claimed the name "General Federation" for themselves. There were also regional divisions, as separate union organizations developed in the West Bank, Gaza, and around the exiled leadership of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO).As'ad Ghanem, The Palestinian Regime: A "Partial Democracy", pp. 39-40.
Ghanem has argued that these rival "General Federations" did not function as effective labour unions during this period, and that internal elections came to an end after 1981. This situation continued into the period of the First Intifada, and several rival groups were still claiming the name "General Federation" in the period just before the Gulf War.Nina Sovich, "Stifling Democracy Within Palestinian Unions", Middle East Report, Summer 2000, pp. 2-3;Sos Nissen, "Anything but Workers in the Palestinian Trade Unions", News From Within, Alternative Information Center, April 1996, accessed 28 June 2008.
A movement toward unity began in 1990, as federations aligned with the Palestinian People's Party (formerly Communists) and Popular Front merged with the Fatah-aligned group. The Democratic Front joined at the end of 1993. Fatah emerged as the dominant force within the union after the merger.Nissen, "Anything but Workers".
In September 1990, the West Bank federation reported that 8,500 Palestinians, who were either expelled from the Gulf States or left because their work contracts were not renewed, had crossed into the West Bank from Jordan since Iraq's invasion of Kuwait the previous month. (Many Palestinian workers faced discrimination in Gulf countries in this period, after the PLO declared its support for the invasion.) Shaher Saed, described as the federation's General Secretary, complained that the problem of finding employment for these workers was compounded by the growing number of Palestinians who had lost their jobs to recent immigrants from the Soviet Union to Israel. He called for economists to develop constructive projects within Palestine, and for Palestinian workers to be allowed to return to the Gulf States. The federation reaffirmed its support for the PLO in the same period.Jon Immanuel, "Palestinian Plight Worsens as Gulf State Expulsions Rise", Jerusalem Post, 1990-09-11. 02. When the Gulf War began in January 1991, Sa'ad complained that many Palestinian workers were unable to purchase food due to Israeli curfews that prevented them from reaching their workplaces.Curtis Wilkie, "Iraqi Scuds, Israeli curfew deepen rifts of intifadah", Boston Globe, 28 January 1991.
Oslo process Saed endorsed the Oslo Peace Process in 1993, and sent a public letter condemning violence and terror to Haim Haberfield, secretary-general of the Israeli Histadrut. In the same letter, Saed also called for Israel to return tax and pension money taken from workers in the occupied territories, which he said amounted to $27 billion. In response, Haberfield indicated that he too supported the peace process and called for an end to regional violence."Palestinian Unionist Condemns Slayings", Jerusalem Post, 28 October 1993, 14.
The return of the exiled Palestinian leadership to the West Bank and Gaza after the signing of the Oslo Accords brought about a change in the PGFTU's structure. Shaher Saed was confirmed as its General Secretary and led its operations in the West Bank, while Rasem Biyari became its second-in-command and oversaw operations in Gaza. Nina Sovich has argued that the PGFTU was unable to develop an effective internal organization after this period, and was hindered by a rivalry between Saed and Haidar Ibrahim, the general secretary of the General Union of Palestinian Workers.Sovich further argues that this rivalry reflected a more fundamental division in Palestinian society, between figures like Ibrahim who spent the Intifada years in exile, and those like Saed who operated from the West Bank and Gaza. See Sovich, "Palestinian trade unions", pp. 68-69.
The PGFTU and Histadrut reached a number of agreements during the Oslo years. In November 1994, the Histadrut agreed to transfer $6–7 million (NIS) to Palestinian unions in Gaza and the West Bank over two years.Michael Yudelman, "Histadrut signs accord with Arab union", Jerusalem Post, 14 November 1994, 02. In February 1997, the Histadrut and PGFTU signed an agreement to allow Palestinian workers to sue in Israeli courts for income losses caused by closures."Histadrut signs pact with Palestinian union", Jerusalem Post, 21 February 1997, 02. Similar arrangements were agreed to on other occasions. In 2000, Nina Sovich wrote an article arguing that the PGFTU had not succeeded in protecting the rights of Palestinian workers in Israel.Nina Sovich, "Palestinian Trade Unions", Journal of Palestine Studies, Autumn 2000, p. 66.
The PGFTU organized a protest against an extended Israeli blockade on Gaza in early 1996, arguing that it was unfairly targeting Palestinian workers.Ibrahim Barzak, "Palestinians Protest Closure; Israel Says it Will Ease Blockade", Associated Press, 16 March 1996. When the Israeli borders were closed again in late 1996 following an outbreak of violence, the PGFTU reported that the resulting unemployment had reached 55% in the West Bank and 70% in Gaza."EXPERTS GIVE DETAILS OF IMPACT OF CLOSURE ON PALESTINIAN ECONOMY", BBC Monitoring Service: Middle East, 15 October 1996.
Post-Oslo
Conflict with Israel
The PGFTU staged a sit-in at the Ain al-Hilweh refugee camp in February 2001, after the breakdown of the Oslo process, to promote the right of Palestinian refugees to return to Israel."Camps show no preference between Barak, Sharon", Daily Star, 7 February 2001. In January of the following year, Saed called on the European Union to stop importing goods from Israel until its forces withdrew from the Palestinian territories.David Cronon, "Palestinian union boss calls for halt to Israeli imports until forces withdraw", European Voice, 24 January 2002. A subsequent report from the International Confederation of Free Trade Unions indicated that the federation's normal union activities were again suspended due to ongoing violence, and that the PGFTU was focusing its efforts on job creation strategies and providing assistance to the poor."Union rights in the Middle East - ICFTU paints gloomy picture", Al-Bawaba News, 23 June 2002.
In September 2002, the PGFTU accused the Israeli army of executing four Palestinian workers without provocation outside a Hebron settlement. The army said the men had intended to attack the settlement."Union says army killed Palestinian "workers" in cold-blood", Agence France-Presse, 1 September 2002. In November 2002, a representative of the PGFTU accused the Israeli government of uprooting thousands of Palestinian-owned olive trees to make way for its separation wall between Israel and the West Bank,Mark Heinrich, "Israel probing fate of Palestinian olive trees", Reuters News, 26 November 2002, 11:14. which the federation later estimated could cost 52,000 Palestinian jobs.Jonathan Fowler, "Israeli barrier could cost 52,000 Palestinian jobs: Palestinian officials", Associated Press, 9 June 2004, 09:34. In 2005, the PGFTU called for the international community to engage in a campaign of Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions against Israel."Case for a boycott", Morning Star Online, 29 June 2007.
The PGFTU strongly condemned Israel's military actions in Gaza and Lebanon in 2006."Concern at escalation in Gaza, Lebanon, Israel", Public Service International, 18 July 2006, 17:19. Two years later, the federation called for an international boycott of celebrations commemorating Israel's sixtieth anniversary."Palestinian Appeal to International Civil Society: Boycott the "Israel at 60" Celebrations!", Washington Report on Middle East Affairs, May/June 2008, p. 39.
A division of the Israeli army broke into the PGFTU's Ramallah office on July 4, 2007. Shaher Saed subsequently informed al-Jazeera that he had not been informed of the reasons for the raid, and complained that several filing cabinets and computers had been destroyed. Israeli authorities said that the raid had taken place "in order to protect the citizens of Israel", and denied that equipment was damaged.
Work with the Histadrut
The PGFTU sent a letter to the leader of the Histradrut in April 2007, arguing that both unions "must emphasise our mutual need for peace in our two societies, for the benefit both of workers and because peace will reflect stability". This occurred against the backdrop of improved conditions between Israel and the Palestinian Authority, following a split between the governments of the West Bank and Gaza.Roger Lyons, "Israeli boycotts: gesture politics or a moral imperative?", The Guardian, 21 April 2007, 33.
Condemnation of 9/11
The PGFTU condemned the terrorist attacks on New York City and Washington on September 11, 2001. Saed described the attacks as an "action against humanity and peace", and gave his "condolences to the American people and their families, the victims of this cowardly and shocking event."John Parker, "Condolences", Traffic World, 24 September 2001.
Conflict with Hamas