The National Tertiary Education Union (NTEU), together with members of the Maritime Union of Australia, NSW Nurses and Midwives Union, NSW Teachers and Australian Services Union joined a national protest on September 10 to demand their universities cut all ties with Israel and Labor imposes sanctions.
In Gadigal Country/Sydney, they marched from UTS to the Department of Defence in the CBD.
Among the speakers was Labor MLC Dr Sarah Kaine, a former NTEU President. She said unions had a responsibility to stand up for social justice issues, beyond their immediate workplace concerns.
âI will not be complicity with genocide,â Kaine told the protest. âI thank the unions that are here and the unions that are not here who continually work for social justice on this issue and all the other issues we have to work on to make a more compassionate society.
âI know the difference between bullets and components that go to making an aeroplane ⊠sometimes that distinction is used a bit of a crack through which to push a justification. And that justification is, âBut we donât have direct bilateral relations with Israel is terms of jets weâre assisting ⊠thatâs not our fault! We donât have any responsibility for that ⊠itâs too far down that very complex supply chain.â
âNow, I donât agree with that. I know you donât agree with that. But even if you did, the Australian government is required to consider a number of criteria before they grant licences for those exports and that criteria includes taking into account humanitarian concerns and weighing them up against diplomatic and other concerns.â
Paul Keating, Maritime Unions Australia Sydney branch secretary, said the union would be talking to maritime unions in other countries about trying to block weapons shipments. âOur members will not load containers headed for Israel. We will break bad laws to defend the Palestinian people.â
Greens MLC David Shoebridge said Australia must stand on the right side of history and work to force Israel to stop the genocide. âWe call on the Australian government to end the two-way arms trade immediately.â
Safaa Rayan, a Palestinian-Australian, who is active in the campaign to shut down Bisalloy in Unanderra/Wollongong invited people to join the protest to shut the factory down on September 21.
Latoya Rule, from Jumbunna Research Staff for Palestine, read a statement on the similarities between the Israel and Australian colonial projects and Vince Caughley, NTEU NSW division secretary, sent a solidarity message, as he was unable to attend.
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Hundreds of Australian Services Union members working in the community sector in Naarm/Melbourne walked off the job, on the same day taking unprotected industrial action.
Jacob Andrewartha reports that it was their second strike. The protesters marched from the State Library to the eight -hour monument outside Trades Hall. Community sector workers and Palestinian solidarity activists addressed the protest. The action was endorsed by Free Palestine Melbourne, NTEU Vic, Community and Public Sector Union Victoriw, Teachers and School Staff 4 Palestine, Monash NTEU 4 Palestine, as well as Students against War and Students for Palestine.
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Markela Panegyres reports from Kaurna Yerta/Adelaide that unionists held a small but powerful Vigil against Scholasticide outside the University of Adelaide.Â
Activists from NTEU for Palestine Adelaide, Unionists for Palestine South Australia, Academics for Palestine South Australia and Teachers and School Staff for Palestine South Australia attended to condemn Israelâs destruction of Gazaâs educational and cultural infrastructure.
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They demanded sanctions on apartheid Israel and called on Australian universities to commit to the academic boycott of Israel, cut ties with the Israeli military and its suppliers, as well as cutting ties with the weapons industry.Â
The protest also demanded the Department for Education prohibit weapons companies from forming so-called âindustry partnershipsâ with primary and secondary schools, under the guise of delivering STEM programs.