Unions File ILO Complaint Regarding Israel’s Treatment of Palestinian Workers Since Gaza War, According to Reuters

By Emma Farge

GENEVA – A coalition of 10 global trade unions submitted a complaint on Friday to the International Labour Organization (ILO) regarding Israel, claiming that its treatment of Palestinian workers since the onset of the Gaza conflict violates an international treaty.

The scrutiny of Israel’s treatment of Palestinian workers, a concern for many years, has intensified at the UN labor body following the outbreak of hostilities on October 7.

The complaint, detailed in a statement to the media, highlights the exclusion of approximately 200,000 Palestinian migrant workers, a measure Israel defends by citing security concerns. The unions assert that these workers are owed unpaid wages and other compensation, potentially amounting to billions of dollars.

"The abrupt unemployment of Palestinians working in Israel has rendered hundreds of thousands destitute," stated Stephen Cotton, general secretary of the International Transport Workers’ Federation based in London, one of the organizations involved in the complaint. "Israel must meet its international legal duties and ensure these workers receive their owed wages immediately," Cotton added.

Israel has attributed its treatment of Palestinian laborers to actions by Hamas, claiming that the militant group targeted key transport routes following the attacks on October 7, which resulted in 1,200 deaths and over 250 hostages.

Subsequent Israeli military actions against the Hamas-controlled region have reportedly led to the deaths of over 40,000 Palestinians, according to local health authorities, and have displaced nearly the entire population of 2.3 million, triggering a hunger crisis.

The trade unions involved in the complaint represent around 207 million workers across more than 160 countries, spanning various sectors including catering, agriculture, and industry. Among the other union groups backing the complaint are Education International and the Building and Wood Workers’ International.

The unions claim that Israel’s actions violate the 1949 Protection of Wages Convention, a treaty that Israel has ratified, along with roughly 100 other nations.

According to ILO regulations, the organization can create a tripartite committee consisting of representatives from government, employers, and workers’ groups to investigate allegations of treaty violations. This process could lead to an investigation and potential sanctions, similar to what occurred in Myanmar during the 1990s.