Our starting point
- We are in favour of promoting direct links between educational unions in the UK and Palestinian educational unions.
- We are in favour of building direct links between educational institutions in the UK and Palestinian educational institutions.
- We are resolutely opposed to racism, anti-semitism and Islamophobia.
- We are in favour of the fullest discussion on how best to achieve justice for the Palestinian people - our platform in the union is one based on the tenets of maximising union democracy and building an open, member-led union.
UCU Left does not have an agreed position on the question of a boycott of Israeli academic institutions.
At the recent UCU Congress we therefore made no recommendation to our supporters about how they should vote on Motion 30, ‘Boycott of Israeli academic institutions’, or on the associated amendments.
Nevertheless, in light of the subsequent press attention and the misinformation fuelling reaction to the fact that Congress delegates voted 158 to 99 in favour of the motion (as amended by Amendment 30A.3 and reproduced here for information) we make the following points:
- We believe it is legitimate to openly discuss whether or not an academic boycott of Israeli academic institutions is a tactic that should or could be organised by UCU. It is legitimate for a trade union to discuss how best to offer solidarity to an oppressed people and fellow educational trade unionists.
- It should be noted that the motion does not initiate an academic boycott.
The motion initiates a debate in UCU about how the union might or might not respond to the call for a boycott of Israeli academic institutions (not individuals) made by sister Palestinian trade unions. As amended, it further calls on UCU branches to make direct links with Palestinian educational institutions. - Contrary to the subsequent reaction to the Congress vote, which has often been vituperative, threatening and generally very badly informed, the debate at Congress was well-informed, calmly conducted and respectful to all expressed viewpoints. It was a model of how debates on contentious issues should be conducted throughout our union and perhaps more generally.
- The vast majority of those actively involved in the debate on all sides, both in the Congress discussion and in the packed fringe meeting the evening before, have accepted the view that the debate is a tactical one about how best to respond to the plight of the Palestinian people and Palestinian students and academics in particular. UCU Left strongly believes that accusations of anti-semitism made by some in the subsequent international reaction are unfounded. It should be noted that many of the supporters of Motion 30 are themselves from Jewish backgrounds and have strong credentials as opponents of racism, anti-semitism and fascism.
- The issue of how to put the motion into practice was subsequently discussed at the first NEC meeting of UCU held on
Friday 8th June.
The NEC received a paper from the General Secretary Sally Hunt (NEC/16) which referred to Motion 30 and to motions on greylisting and boycott (Motion 28) and the European Union and Israel (Motion 31 as amended by 31A.1 and 31A.2). It was agreed that speaking tours of Palestinian and Israeli academics would be organised in the Autumn term with debates set up in some larger institutions or on a regional basis in order to maximise the participation of UCU members. The GS reported that she had made a start on this process in terms of contacting appropriate organisations. When the process is completed a report will be made to the NEC late in the year. UCU Left would then expect the matter to be referred to Annual Congress 2008. - We recognise that our supporters may have various attitudes to the tactic of an academic boycott.
However, we are strongly in favour of there being as full a debate as possible on this issue throughout UCU. We are opposed to any attempt to go over the heads of the democratically elected bodies of the union – the National Executive Committee and the supreme decision making body of the union, its National Congress. Members must be free to express their views on the issue in a variety of ways – in branch meetings, through face to face and electronic discussion and so on. Democracy is nothing if not about open discussion, debate and decision making. However, we are strongly opposed to any attempts that might be made to peremptorily ‘resolve’ this issue which would involve bypassing UCU’s democratic structures or undermining properly-constituted decisions made at Annual Congress by branch delegates.
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