WORKERS at the Glasgow Film Theatre (GFT) have launched a service boycott of all goods for sale at the cinema listed under Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) prohibitions, in solidarity with the people of Palestine.

Members of Unite Hospitality at the venue unanimously backed the action to coincide with the start of a fortnight-long Glasgow Film Festival.

It is the latest in the union’s Serve Solidarity campaign, which has already won BDS commitments from numerous employers, most notably The Stand Comedy Club.

The campaign organised a gig in July 2024 that raised over £14,000 to send two surgeons to Gaza.

A Unite Hospitality GFT branch spokesperson said: “We recognise the contradiction of an institution that is willing to profit financially from the screening of popular Palestinian films and documentaries while refusing to cut ties with the apartheid regime.

“We are proud to be taking this action in solidarity with the people of Palestine.”

Calling the action inspiring, Unite Hospitality Glasgow industrial officer Yana Petticrew said: “This is a pivotal moment for the Palestinian movement in Glasgow which highlights the financial, cultural, and commercial links between workers in Scotland and the oppression of workers abroad.”

Unite Hospitality Glasgow campaigns officer Max McCluskey added: “The modern global economy connects workers across the world financially, socially and politically.

“Coca-Cola make money through their factories which prop up illegal Israeli settlements in the West Bank on one hand, while making money through the sale of their products by low-paid hospitality workers in Glasgow on the other.

“Our quest for a better tomorrow is deeply intertwined with the cause of the Palestinians.”

A Glasgow Film spokesperson said they are “reviewing the detailed points and requests submitted by staff,” adding: “We understand the significance of the issues raised and the depth of feeling raised by members of our communities.”