15 Minutes, Global Strike for Palestinian Workers
Palestine – Shaher Saed, President of the Arab Trade Union Confederation and Secretary-General of Palestine General Federation of Trade Unions, stated that Palestine General Federation of Trade Unions (PGFTU), in partnership with the Arab Trade Union Confederation (ATUC), has issued a call to international and Arab organizations and unions to join the solidarity campaign for the global workers’ strike on October 7, 2024. This date marks the World Day for Decent Work, a day when unions reaffirm one of their most important principles: defending the rights of workers without discrimination.
Saed urged workers around the world to pause work for 15 minutes at 12:00 noon Jerusalem time on Monday, October 7, 2024, as a symbolic act of solidarity to highlight the ongoing struggles of Palestinian workers and people. This global action aims to remind the international community of the relentless hardships faced by Palestinians under occupation and to reaffirm the labor movement’s commitment to supporting the rights of all people to freedom, self-determination, and dignity. This date also marks a year since the occupation escalated its oppressive measures, depriving Palestinian workers of their right to work and subjecting the entire population to systematic violations of basic human rights, including the right to a decent livelihood.
Saed highlighted that the war against the Palestinian people has resulted in over 40,000 casualties and 100,000 injuries, half of whom are women and children. The conflict has pushed the poverty rate to 55%, caused economic losses estimated at $2.3 billion, and reduced the workforce in Palestinian institutions by more than 65%. Additionally, 500,000 workers have lost their jobs, leading to an unemployment rate of 51% amid soaring living costs, with prices of goods increasing by 600%. The financial toll is further exacerbated by the $450 million monthly loss in wages due to the deprivation of Palestinian workers’ rights.
Dr. Hind Ben Ammar, Secretary-General of the Arab Trade Union Confederation, affirmed that the Confederation has prepared an appeal in four global languages—Arabic, English, French, and Spanish—and is working tirelessly to disseminate the call of Palestine General Federation of Trade Unions worldwide. The Confederation is urging workers across the globe to actively and genuinely commit to the strike in solidarity with Palestinian workers, whose lives are at risk when commuting to their workplaces due to ongoing harassment by the occupation forces, including acts of killing, assault, and arrest.
It is worth noting that since the onset of the war against the Palestinian people, 14 workers have been martyred, targeted either at their workplaces, while commuting to work in the West Bank or within the occupied territories, or during interrogation in Israeli prisons. Additionally, some workers from Gaza lost their lives in shelters in the West Bank, driven by fear and anguish over their families’ suffering back home in Gaza.
