Geneva – Shaher Saed, Secretary-General of the Palestinian General Federation of Trade Unions (PGFTU), stated that Israeli policies preventing Palestinian workers from reaching their workplaces, confiscating agricultural land, and demolishing industrial and economic facilities have devastated the future of hundreds of thousands of Palestinian workers and caused severe damage to the Palestinian economy.
Addressing the 114th Session of the International Labour Conference (ILC) of the International Labour Organization (ILO) in Geneva, Saed highlighted the difficult realities faced by Palestinian workers in Gaza, the West Bank, and Jerusalem, as well as the ongoing violations affecting their right to work and live in dignity.
Saed pointed out that the ILO Director-General’s 2026 report documented the extensive violations committed by Israeli authorities and settlers against the Palestinian people, including the confiscation of thousands of dunums of agricultural land, attacks on farmers, the burning and destruction of farmland, and the demolition of residential, agricultural, industrial, and economic facilities. These practices, he said, have severely damaged key productive sectors and deprived thousands of Palestinian workers of their livelihoods.
He added that these policies are accompanied by continued settlement expansion and the establishment of dozens of new settlement outposts throughout the West Bank, further undermining economic stability and development opportunities for Palestinians.
According to Saed, the Palestinian economy is facing an unprecedented crisis. In the Gaza Strip, the labour market has virtually collapsed, with more than 250,000 workers losing their jobs and unemployment exceeding 85 percent amid widespread destruction, blockade, and the near-total suspension of economic activity.
He noted that the number of unemployed Palestinians has surpassed 570,000 out of a workforce of approximately 1.4 million workers, while workers’ losses during the past 32 months have exceeded €7 billion.
Saed further revealed that more than 35,000 Palestinian workers have been arrested or subjected to persecution, while 52 workers seeking to earn a living have been killed. He also highlighted that more than 1,100 military checkpoints and gates across the West Bank have severely restricted the movement of workers and goods, causing significant economic losses and disrupting daily life.
He stressed that the situation facing Palestinian workers is not merely a temporary economic crisis but a systematic assault on Palestinian economic and social life. He called on the International Labour Organization and the international community to provide protection for Palestinian workers, compensate them for their losses, and ensure the restoration of their full rights in accordance with international labour standards and conventions.
Saed also expressed his appreciation to the International Labour Organization, its offices in Jerusalem and Beirut, the Arab Labour Organization, the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC), the Arab Trade Union Confederation (ATUC), and trade union organizations worldwide for their continued solidarity with Palestinian workers and the Palestinian people.
He extended special thanks to the Workers’ Group within the ILO, as well as international and Arab trade union federations, for their support and efforts that contributed to securing Palestine’s status as a non-member observer state at the International Labour Organization. He described this achievement as a historic milestone that strengthens Palestine’s presence within the organization and enhances international advocacy for Palestinian workers’ rights.
Saed also criticized Israel for preventing the ILO’s fact-finding mission from visiting Palestine for 32 consecutive months, calling on the international community to condemn this obstruction and ensure that the mission can carry out its work on the ground.
Concluding his remarks, Saed reaffirmed the Palestinian people’s commitment to their legitimate national rights, foremost among them the establishment of an independent Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital. He emphasized that social justice and decent work cannot be achieved under occupation and reiterated the determination of the Palestinian people to remain steadfast on their land despite ongoing displacement, settlement expansion, and aggression.
Video Speech of Shaher Saed at the 114th International Labour Conference, 2026
