How Australian trade unions are backing Palestinian activism

While they have expressed a range of nuanced views, there is a clear pattern of pro-Palestinian solidarity among both professional and trade unions.

In recent months, Australia’s trade unions have grappled with how to respond to the Israel-Hamas War. Whilst some have been silent on the issue or have limited their intervention to a media release, others have extended concrete support to pro-Palestine activism in Australia.

Trade unions are concerned with wages, conditions and workplace rights. To understand why some have become so outspoken on the Israel-Hamas conflict, and why some have not, a cursory glance at Australian history is necessary.

Since Federation, Australian unions have rallied in response to countless international events and humanitarian crises. From the conscription referenda to the boycott of fascist Japan, to the Korean and Vietnam Wars, unions have often proved pivotal in translating public disapproval into systematic pressure, and occasionally, major policy change.

The union movement considers its core principle to be “solidarity” – identifying with exploited people and supporting their fight against injustice. This principle has been complicated by the unresolved question of how far solidarity extends: does it cease at the border or stretch across continents?  

This perennial question has been reanimated by the Israel-Hamas war. Since October 7, Australian unions have responded in one of four ways, as the chart below indicates: silence (grey), calling for restraint or mixed (yellow), demanding a ceasefire (orange), or by advocating a ceasefire and becoming involved in pro-Palestine activism (red).