Call from the General Federation of Trade Unions in Gaza

This “Call from the General Federation of Trade Unions in Gaza to Labor Unions in the United States on the Eve of International Workers’ Day” was issued April 4, 2025.

To the free trade unions in the United States of America and to every free worker and trade unionist fighting for justice, freedom and human dignity, we salute you on the eve of International Workers’ Day, a day that embodies the unity and solidarity of workers in confronting oppression and exploitation. 

We raise to you the voice of Gaza’s workers, who today stand at the forefront of confronting the most heinous forms of genocide, siege and starvation, imposed on our people for decades and continuing to this day with direct support from the U.S. administration under Donald Trump and previous administrations in blatant violation of all humanitarian and international laws. 

Dear members of American trade unions, for over 16 months Gaza has been subjected to a brutal assault that has resulted in the martyrdom of tens of thousands of innocent civilians, including thousands of workers, along with the systematic destruction of infrastructure, homes, hospitals, schools and factories. The occupation has stripped Gaza of all means of life, sparing no service or productive sector from systematic devastation, leading to the collapse of health care, public services, education and the economy. 

Millions of Palestinians now find themselves displaced, without food, water, shelter, electricity or medicine. The genocide is in a dangerous escalation. The occupation continues its policy of collective starvation by closing crossings and preventing the entry of humanitarian aid, placing our people at risk of mass famine while the international community remains powerless, silent or even complicit in this crime against humanity. 

These policies are not merely intended to subjugate our people but are part of a settler-colonial regime aimed at completely erasing Palestinian existence. Dear comrades, workers in Gaza are among the most affected by this catastrophe. Economic life has come to a complete halt, workplaces have been destroyed and tens of thousands have been forcibly pushed into unemployment, with no social safety nets in place. Today, workers and their families live in inhumane conditions, deprived of their most basic rights, struggling to survive — whether from hunger or under bombardment. 

U.S. enables Zionist genocide

This war would not have been possible without the unlimited U.S. support for the occupation, whether through military funding, political and diplomatic backing or arms deals that kill our children, women and elderly every day. The U.S. administration under Trump has continued what the previous administration started, becoming a direct accomplice in genocide, ignoring the voices of millions inside and outside of the United States and an overwhelming majority of the nation who reject this brutal aggression. 

Therefore, we call on you, the American labor unions, to translate your solidarity into effective actions that go beyond statements and speeches and create real pressure to stop this dirty war. What we ask of you today: 

• 1. Escalate pressure within workplaces and American decision-making institutions to end the military, financial and diplomatic support provided by the U.S. administration to the occupation and hold accountable the companies and institutions involved in financing and supporting Israel’s war machine and the genocide. 
• 2. Join and expand the current boycott campaigns targeting Israeli companies and their supporters, especially in the shipping and logistics sectors. This includes boycotting Israeli ships like “ZIM” and stopping business with companies that transport weapons and military equipment to the occupation, such as Maersk and others. 
• 3. Enforce labor sanctions at U.S. ports and airports to block arms shipments to Israel, following the example of past labor movements that boycotted apartheid South Africa and other workers across the globe. 
• 4. Support and coordinate efforts with the student movement in the U.S., which is facing severe repression for its principled stance in supporting the Palestinian cause. Solidarity between the labor and student movements can create immense pressure against the unjust policies of the U.S. administration and effectively respond to the Trump administration’s broad assault on civil liberties and freedom of expression. 
• 5. Call for general strikes and widespread civil disobedience to expose the U.S. government’s complicity in the war and hold it accountable for the crimes of the occupation, just as labor movements have done in past struggles against imperialist wars. 
• 6. Pressure Congress and the U.S. administration to halt arms shipments and military aid to Israel and cancel any agreements that reinforce colonialism and oppression at the expense of oppressed peoples. 

Transform solidarity into action!

Dear members of the labor movement in America, we sincerely appreciate all the efforts made by U.S. trade unions and the voices that have stood in solidarity with the Palestinian cause. Moreover, we emphasize that the current stage demands that these efforts be developed in a cumulative manner, transforming solidarity into practical and sustainable actions that contribute to stopping Palestinian bloodshed, ending the occupation and siege and achieving justice for our people. 

We, in the General Federation of Trade Unions in Gaza, address this call to you on the eve of International Workers’ Day, affirming that your struggle for workers’ rights in the United States is inseparable from our struggle against occupation and colonialism. True labor solidarity is demonstrated through actions, not just words, and we count on your awareness and determination to take concrete steps to end this tragedy. 

It is our collective responsibility — as trade unions and labor movements worldwide — to stand against injustice and use our collective power to generate change. Together, we can break the chains of occupation, end oppression and build a world that is more just and humane. 

Long live workers’ unity and solidarity! Long live the struggle of peoples for freedom, dignity and justice! 

Basheer Al-Sisi, General Secretariat of the Palestinian General Federation of Trade Unions — City of Gaza