The Trades Union Congress (TUC), which represents over 5.3 million workers across the United Kingdom, has formally voted to support the Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS) movement. The unanimous decision was reached on Wednesday during the organization’s annual conference held in Brighton.
This marks the first instance of the TUC aligning itself with the Palestinian-led movement. The motion demands that the union body actively campaign against the “catastrophic destruction of Gaza” and settler violence in the West Bank that it describes as being “supported by the IDF [Israeli army].”
Zita Holborne of Artists’ Union England, the group that introduced the proposal, stated that it is essential for the labor movement to answer the BDS call. She emphasized the need to challenge complicity and utilize collective power to support Palestinians. The motion specifically calls for an end to arms deals and military cooperation with Israel, while urging the government to implement broad sanctions.
Omar Barghouti, a co-founder of the BDS movement, welcomed the move as a significant development. While he acknowledged that the UK government has recently adopted some minor measures regarding its complicity, he insisted that current actions remain insufficient to meet the country’s legal obligations to address genocide and illegal occupation. He added that the movement must continue to apply pressure to secure further change.
The vote increases political pressure on the UK government, particularly following recent remarks by Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband. Last week, Miliband announced a ban on goods originating from Israeli settlements—which are considered illegal under international law—and condemned what he termed “settler terrorists” for carrying out “ethnic cleansing” in the West Bank.
Despite these steps, Miliband has explicitly stated his opposition to the BDS movement, affirming that the UK intends to maintain valuable trade with Israel that complies with international law. This stance has drawn criticism from activists, with Peter Leary, deputy director of the Palestine Solidarity Campaign, labeling the TUC vote a “tipping point.”
Leary argued that while the Foreign Secretary has attempted to dismiss the BDS movement, the unions are instead paving the way for tangible change. He stated that the focus must now remain on forcing the government to end all forms of military, diplomatic, and economic support for Israel. At the time of publication, both the Trades Union Congress and the UK government had not responded to requests for comment.
