Shaher Saed, the general secretary of the Palestinian General Federation of Trade Unions, had hoped to speak in person at UNISON’s national delegate conference in Liverpool this week, but was unable to because “the war and fascist occupation have prevented this”.
So instead, he shared a moving video message with delegates (above).
“I speak to you today from Palestine carrying in my heart the pain and hope of our people. I speak on behalf of our children, women, youth, elders and workers, who struggle daily under the weight of occupation and genocide.
“We extend to you our deepest appreciation and gratitude for your unwavering support for a just cause. Palestine, a cause that is not only ours, but one that is shared by all the people of the world where bloodshed, ethnic cleansing and genocide continue unabated. This includes our people in Gaza and the West Bank, particularly in the refugee camps of Jenin, Nur Shams, Tulkarem, Balata, Al-Far’a.”
The loss of life
Mr Saed continued by listing the horrifying statistics of the number of people killed in the conflict since 7 October 2023 when Hamas attacked Israel.
“The toll of martyrs to date is more than 55,300: 18,000 of them are child martyrs, 12,400 are women martyrs, 3,535 are elderly martyrs. In Gaza, there have been 1,402 medical staff martyrs, 200 journalist martyrs, 800 martyrs from the education sector, 113 civil defence martyrs and 203 UNRWA (United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestinians) employee martyrs. In addition, there are 11,200 missing persons, including 4,700 missing children and women.
“These horrific statistics have accumulated over the course of 19 months of continuous war and genocide and under the watch and silence of the international community. Over the last 19 months, international reports have continued to document the grave violations of the the Israeli army. This includes the settlers in the West Bank where there has been widespread destruction: the uprooting and burning of trees, assaults on farmers and civilians, the burning of vehicles, homes, mosques and agricultural lands.”
Palestinian workers
Before 7 October 2023, many Palestinians crossed the border daily to Israel to work in a range of jobs, mainly construction and agriculture. More than 150,000 Palestinian workers from the occupied West Bank alone entered Israel each day. However since then, the border has been closed, leaving hundreds of thousands of Palestinians from Gaza and the West Bank without work.
The ban on nearly all of these workers has led to further persecution and unemployment. Out of a workforce of 1,400,000 people, more than half a million Palestinian workers (507,000) have become unemployed.
“You may wonder why Palestinian workers seek employment in the Israeli labour market?” said Mr Saed. “The answer lies in a long-standing Israeli policy to employ around 25% of the Palestinian workforce in Israel. This enables the Israelis to maintain complete control over the Palestinian national economy. Hence we demand that our Palestinian workers be on the agenda of business, employment and construction policies in Palestine.
“The economic losses due to the war and these blockades over the past 19 months are estimated at €400 million per month – amounting to more than €7 billion in total.
“The war against Palestine’s economy continues relentlessly. These losses mean that workers are now without income or employment. Not only that, but the number of workers arrested has reached 11,000 and the martyrdom of 35 workers, killed during pursuit, assault or in detention.”
Call to action
“Our workers have lost hope in everything, as a result of them not being paid their salaries and entitlements and them not being allowed to return to their workplaces. A complaint was filed by international unions that visited Palestine and saw first-hand the reality of the workers’ suffering.
“Therefore we hope to achieve justice for the workers, in accordance with the constitution and international labour agreements to restore workers’ rights and compensate them for their period of unemployment.”
On 2 June 2025, the International Labour Organization upgraded Palestine’s status to ‘observer state’, from ‘national liberation movement’. This decision was reached after 50 years and aligns the ILO’s position with that of other UN agencies, including UNESCO and the World Health Organisation.
“The overwhelming vote to accept Palestine as an observer state in the ILO brings hope to our workers and our people. There can be no social justice, no decent work under fascist occupation. We will stay on our land and neither displacement nor genocide will deter us. Palestine will endure and the fascist occupation will vanish into the dustbin of history
This speech was followed by a passionate conference debate about the Gaza War and how peace can be best secured to end the bloodshed.
The article ‘Our deepest appreciation and gratitude’ first appeared on the UNISON National site.
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