CIVIL servants called for all workers to be allowed to take industrial action against arms sales to Israel today.
PCS is set to convene an open meeting of trade unions, pro-Palestine campaigners and politicians to discuss the situation.
Delegates backed the proposal in a motion passed on the last day of the union’s annual conference at Brighton.
The motion, put forward by its national executive committee (NEC), was said to “cover” 17 others made by branches across Britain’s biggest Civil Service union aimed at members being punished for expressing Palestinian solidarity at work.
These included a call for the union’s leadership to work with “all socialist political forces, including MPs and councillors, who have called for solidarity with Palestine and an immediate and permanent ceasefire, to defend workers who take industrial action to halt arms exports to Israel.”
To applause in the hall, the NEC was also told to identify and work with PCS members in companies or government departments involved in the arms trade with Israel to “build a campaign against such involvement.” It must also “commit to giving full formal support to workers in these workplaces to enable them to refuse to produce, facilitate or transport goods or services in such trade with Israel.”
Moving the motion, NEC delegate Angela Grant said: “PCS reps and members are in turmoil watching this unfold, while humanity is screaming out crying for somebody to stop the madness and save the people of Palestine.
“As conversations are happening in workplaces, as people move to collect money for aid … we are seeing the worst kinds of behaviour from our managers.
“Members brought to disciplinary for attending peaceful marches, I’m talking about senior managers — managements in general are attacking our members for standing up for peace for Palestine.”
Sarah Ensor, a delegate from the Independent Office for Police Complaints, commended members trying to engage with their employer over fears their work breaches international law.
She singled out members in the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy for paving the way for a potential judicial review to prevent civil servants ending up on “the wrong side of international law.”
Ms Ensor called for “a Civil Service-wide internal dissent mechanism” to protect the colleagues concerned over the legality of “this and any government position” with a distinction between “a private life and a trade union life.”
