New Alliance Set to Bolster Palestinian Worker Rights

Workers in Palestine now have even more support for their efforts to achieve rights and respect at work: The National Alliance for Social Justice in Palestine, launched in Ramallah in recent days, seeks to craft Palestinian labor law in line with international labor standards and expand equitable legislation for all Palestinians. Alliance leaders say such coordination is especially essential to advance social justice standards and worker protection during COVID-19 lockdowns.

The 41-member alliance, headed by the Palestinian General Federation of Trade Unions (PGFTU), includes the majority of professional unions, trade unions and Palestinian civil society institutions in the West Bank and Gaza. PGFTU spearheaded the coalition with support of the International Labor Organization (ILO) in March 2021.

Among the Code of Honor Principles:

• Adopting the principles and standards of sustainable and alternative development to build a national economy and reject all forms of normalization
• Adopting a participatory, holistic approach in implementing the Alliance’s plan and programs
• Promoting and adopting mechanisms to advocate and campaign for policies and regulations on economic and social rights and amendments to the labor law in line with international labor standards
• Believing in the coalition that will build labor law, policies and social protection systems
• Believing in the necessity of unifying demands on issues of social justice, economic and social rights, and trade union demands for all member institutions of the coalition

Among the Alliance Founding Partners:

• PGFTU (president)
• General Union of Palestinian Workers
• The General Federation of Independent Trade Unions
• The General Union of Palestinian Women in West bank and Gaza Strip
• Sharek Youth Forum
• Wasel Foundation for Youth Development
• Women and Media Development Association – TAM
• Center of Psychosocial Counselling for Women
• The Palestinian Foundation for Empowerment and Local Development – Reform
• Center for Feminist Studies
• Palestinian Broadcasting Union
• Palestinian NGOs Network
• Union of Palestinian University Professors and Employees

Solidarity Center programs in Palestine support the PGFTU in building coalitions with civil society organizations to combine efforts with the labor movement to advocate for national policy reform, campaign for labor rights and address the important issues for workers collectively.