Stuart Howard reports on a landmark agreement between Israeli and Palestinian transport unions

The hand shakes and embraces were enthusiastic and warm. The feeling of achievement was real and exciting. The words of Randall Howard, ITF president, who chaired the meeting, that “this is a small but very significant contribution to a peaceful world in which workers can exist side by side in harmony” reflected a genuine sense of possibilities going beyond the conclusions of the meeting.

This had not been an easy meeting to arrange. Initial plans to hold the meeting at the ITF headquarters in London collapsed at the last minute after difficulties for the Palestinian delegates obtaining visas for the UK. But it was important not to lose the momentum which had built up. After an appeal by David Cockroft, ITF general secretary, Pantelis Stavrou of the ITF affiliate FTPAW-SEK in Cyprus stepped in and offered to host the event at short notice.

Text of the joint declaration The Israeli Transport Workers’ Union-Histadrut and the Palestinian General Federation of Transport Workers-PGFTU, meeting under the auspices of the ITF, in Limassol, Cyprus, on 31 July-1 August 2007 (more ..)

So for two days between 31 July and 1 August, Israeli and Palestinian transport union representatives sat together in the peak of a summer heat wave in Limassol to discuss the problems they face as transport workers and to find common ground.

"What was impressive was the readiness to recognise the need to subordinate differences to the goal of working together as transport unions acting on behalf of transport workers"

At the end of it they hammered out an agreement, which could lead to the two unions meeting regularly and working together to address some of the most difficult and sensitive problems. In particular, for Palestinian truck drivers and taxi drivers who have to pass through Israeli military checkpoints, it could provide a highly practical mechanism for dealing with some of the difficulties they encounter.

First steps

The idea of developing cooperation between the two unions was first floated in June 2006 during a visit I made as ITF assistant general secretary to the West Bank and Israel. The conflict in the Lebanon intervened to make getting the union leaders together at the ITF Congress in Durban impractical. But in November 2006 Nasr Yunes of the Palestinian union and Haim Shaib of the Histadrut transport workers met in London with ITF general secretary David Cockroft and president Randall Howard and outlined a proposal for a broader meeting of their local representatives in July 2007 and the ground it might try to cover.

The delegation members who finally came together in Limassol included not only the union leaders – Nasr Yunes for the Palestinians and the new chairman of the Histadrut Transport Workers’ Union, Avi Edri, with Haim Shaib still a delegation member but now Histadrut chair of the Ashdod region. The rest of the delegations were union representatives from specific workplaces or local towns in the West Bank and Israel. Their involvement would take the outcome right back to the grass roots union memberships.

The Palestinians described their working lives as drivers, overwhelmingly dominated by the difficulties they face from over 500 military checkpoints and barriers which divide communities from each other. They described unemployment and emigration due to lack of jobs. Israeli workers told of their experience seeing transport companies privatised and more and increasing numbers of jobs being contracted out to non-union operators. They worried about shrinking union membership. They expressed their fears about how privatisation is putting public assets into the hands of a few wealthy people. There was discussion of a whole range of common issues such as collective bargaining, the delayed payment of wages, pensions, union recruitment, training, and health and safety.

Inevitably there were tense moments. On each side there are strongly held views about current events and issues, which often clash with each other. Yet what was impressive throughout the meeting was the readiness to understand that this was inevitable and to recognise the need to subordinate such differences to the goal of working together as transport unions acting on behalf of transport workers, both Israeli and Palestinian. At one point, delegates decided to mix their seating to avoid facing each other as blocks.

From the start of the meeting the leaders of both delegations made it clear that they had not come just to make fine sounding statements. Avi Edri, chairman of the Transport Workers’ Union-Histadrut stressed that: “We are serious about this initiative. This is not just about signing pieces of paper; we have to mean what we sign.” Nasr Yunes of the Palestinian General Transport Workers’ Union warned that: “Unless we come out with something that provides practical benefits to our members this initiative will have no credibility.”

Commitment

By the end of the second day both organisations agreed to establish a joint liaison committee, to provide a mechanism for dealing with the practical problems faced by transport workers and for building trust between Israeli and Palestinian transport unions. David Cockroft, who played a key role in mediating this process, says: “We have come out with an initiative and a structure which will provide the first ever mechanism for cooperation between Israeli and Palestinian transport workers. It is up to the unions to make it work, and the ITF stands ready to continue its assistance in this process. But I believe there is real commitment here.”

"Both union leaders thanked the ITF for its role in convening the meeting and requested that the ITF maintain its role in supporting the initiative"

The joint liaison committee will be made up of an equal number of representatives from each union, including the two leaders. It will meet on a regular basis to take forward projects to build trust between workers – these may include exchange visits and joint education seminars. And it will attempt to deal with one of the most urgent and difficult issues faced by Palestinian transport workers, the problem of military checkpoints.

The Israeli Histadrut transport union pledged its commitment to provide positive help where it can without compromising security. An initial idea is for the Palestinian union to set up a telephone hotline for drivers reporting checkpoint problems. Appropriate cases will then be handled in coordination with the Israeli union, which will approach the Israeli security services to participate in the committee’s work when issues such as checkpoints and barriers are under discussion. The joint committee could become a practical mechanism for identifying and resolving situations which cause serious problems for professional drivers in the West Bank.

According to Randall Howard: “The participants were remarkable for their commitment to getting a job done, which they believe will not only bring real benefits for transport workers, but in a small way set a direction for building wider trust and cooperation.”

The commitment to the initiative was signified in the public signing by both unions and the ITF of the declaration, which was drafted in English, Arabic and Hebrew.
Nasr Yunes welcomed the declaration saying: “The priority was to deal with transport workers’ problems. We have to show our members that such initiatives can work. I believe that by working together we can really bring real and practical improvements for trade union members.”

Avi Edri added: “We are very serious about this cooperation. I believe we can make a real difference working together.”

Both union leaders thanked the ITF for its role in convening the meeting and requested that the ITF maintain its role in supporting the initiative. David Cockroft confirmed that as a signatory to the agreement, the ITF would continue to play a role in its practical implementation and announced that he planned to visit both unions during the next 12 months.

Stuart Howard is ITF assistant general secretary.