Trade Union Friends of Israel
UK organisation working with trade unions (since renamed Britain Israel Trade Union Dialogue) that takes British union delegations to Israel and Palestine
| Trade Union Friends of Israel
| |
|---|---|
| Type | Organisation working with trade unions (legal form not established) |
| Founded | September 1983 |
| Headquarters | London (mailbox address) |
Trade Union Friends of Israel (TUFI) is a British organisation formed in September 1983 to formalise the work of Labour Friends of Israel within the trade union movement;[1] it works with the Israeli trade union centre, the Histadrut.[2] It later became the Britain Israel Trade Union Dialogue (BITUD); the BITUD website refers to "BITUD (Formerly TUFI)".[3] The organisation says it takes British trade-union delegations to Israel and the Palestinian territories.[3][4]
History
A doctoral thesis on the TUC and the Histadrut says that the Labour Friends of Israel (LFI) reported that its support among grassroots trade unionists had weakened by the early 1980s, and that "in order to formalise the LFI's work within the trade union movement, the Trade Union Friends of Israel (TUFI) was formed in September 1983"; the thesis names Lady Valerie Cocks as TUFI's Executive Director from 1983 to 1990.[1] The thesis is the only source found for the founding. The date of the change of name to BITUD has not been established: the organisation's 2016 delegation report is still headed TUFI,[4] while its 2018 report is headed BITUD.[5]
Aims
The TUFI website as archived on 8 November 2016 said that TUFI "was established to strengthen the links between the Histadrut (the Israeli TUC), the Palestinian General Federation of Trade Unions (PGFTU) and the British Trade Union Movement", and listed aims including building support for the Middle East peace process in the UK labour movement, taking British delegations to meet Israeli and Palestinian trade unionists, and engaging trade unionists on issues beyond the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Among the themes of its activities it listed "the negative impact that a boycott would have on Israeli and Palestinian workers".[2] The current BITUD website says that BITUD "supports a two-state solution for Israel and Palestine" and was established "to promote solidarity and strong links between British, Israeli and Palestinian trade unions".[3] See the Histadrut and Palestine General Federation of Trade Unions pages for the two organisations it works with.
People
- The 2016 TUFI delegation report lists Michael J. Leahy OBE as Chair and Doreen Gerson as Executive Vice Chair and delegation co-ordinator.[4]
- The Jerusalem Post quoted Stephen Scott as TUFI's director in June 2013.[6]
- The BITUD website lists Lord Hannett of Everton (a member of the House of Lords since 2024 and a former general secretary of the Union of Shop, Distributive and Allied Workers) as President and Doreen Gerson as a founder member of the board; it says that she "served as the Embassy of Israel's Representative, in the North West of England, until she retired from that position in 2016".[3] See also the Embassy of Israel, London page.
Delegations
BITUD's website says it organises yearly missions to Israel and Palestine, and claims "120 delegates", "14 unions" and "20 years" (undated).[7] Its reports for the years it publishes say:
| Year | Dates given | Unions named as taking part | Itinerary items named in the report |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 27 November - 3 December (the heading says 2017; the text and title say 2016) | Community, the Prison Officers' Association and the Musicians' Union, with Australian colleagues[4] | Histadrut headquarters and its leadership; the Knesset (meeting with Labor Party general secretary MK Hilik Bar); Partner Communications workers; Beit Berl; the PGFTU in Nablus |
| 2018 | 4 - 9 November | Community, the Prison Officers' Association and the First Division Association (FDA), with Australian colleagues[5] | Na'amat nursery in Jaffa; Histadrut headquarters; the Knesset; the British Ambassador; construction workers in Tel Aviv; Kibbutz Nir Am; the PGFTU in Jenin; the report says the POA chairman visited Hadarim prison |
| 2019 | 10 - 16 November | Community, the Prison Officers' Association, the FDA and Union of Shop, Distributive and Allied Workers (Usdaw), with the Australia Israel Labor Dialogue[8] | Histadrut briefings and its chief executive; the PGFTU in Ramallah; construction workers in Tel Aviv |
| 2022 | 30 October - 5 November | Community, the Prison Officers' Association, the FDA and Usdaw[9] | Histadrut briefings; the PGFTU in Ramallah; an adviser to the Labor Party leader; Jerusalem, including Yad Vashem |
The reports are the organisation's own accounts. No independent report of the delegations was read for this update.
Relations with other unions
- GMB, 2013. The Jerusalem Post reported on 8 June 2013 that the GMB congress had voted to uphold a 2011 decision on boycott and divestment, and that members would not take part in TUFI-organised visits or speak on TUFI platforms; a GMB spokesman said it was not a ban ("They will not be funded or facilitated"). TUFI's director said TUFI was "disappointed" and argued that British trade unionists should visit the region and meet unionists on both sides; TUFI said the motion targeted its opposition to the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions campaign.[6] In evidence to a parliamentary committee in February 2016, Conservative Friends of Israel wrote that "In 2013, GMB banned its members from visiting Israel and the Palestinian territories with Trade Union Friends of Israel (TUFI)".[10]
- TUC Congress 2024. BITUD published a statement for the Trades Union Congress in 2024 which condemned the 7 October 2023 attack on Israel, called for a ceasefire and the release of hostages, and said that "eventually we need a two-state peace agreement".[11] The statement is the organisation's own; it also contains political claims about Iran and about demonstrations in Britain that are attributed to BITUD here. See Trades Union Congress.
- TUFI's archived website carried a menu headed "UK Trade Unions" naming 46 UK unions;[2] that list is a site menu and does not show which unions were members or supporters.
Registration and funding
BITUD's legal notice gives the name of the organisation as "Britain Israel Trade Union Dialogue", a registered office of "BM BITU, London, WC1N3XX" (a mailbox address) and an email contact, and its site invites donations.[12] No company of either name was found at Companies House,[13] and the Electoral Commission register shows no donations given or received under TUFI or BITUD names.[14] No entry was found in the current Register of Members' Financial Interests.[15] The sources of the organisation's funding are not stated on the websites read. The Charity Commission register could not be searched by name for this update.
See also
- Histadrut
- Palestine General Federation of Trade Unions
- Labour Friends of Israel
- Conservative Friends of Israel
- Trades Union Congress
- GMB
- Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions
Notes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Ronnie Fraser, The TUC and the Histadrut, 1945-1982: a problematic relationship, PhD thesis, Royal Holloway, University of London, text and footnote 755 (on the formation of TUFI in September 1983 and Lady Valerie Cocks as its Executive Director, 1983-90), accessed 11 November 2026.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 TUFI, About us, Internet Archive snapshot of 8 November 2016 of tufi.org.uk, accessed 11 November 2026.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 Britain Israel Trade Union Dialogue, Welcome to Britain Israel Trade Union Dialogue (home page, including "Our mission" and "Our team"), accessed 11 November 2026.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 Britain Israel Trade Union Dialogue, Delegation to Israel and Palestine: TUFI report (2016), accessed 11 November 2026.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Britain Israel Trade Union Dialogue, Delegation to Israel and Palestine, 4-9 November 2018, accessed 11 November 2026.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 Jonny Paul, British trade union to ban member visits to Israel, The Jerusalem Post, 8 June 2013, accessed 11 November 2026.
- ↑ Britain Israel Trade Union Dialogue, BITUD Delegations, accessed 11 November 2026.
- ↑ Britain Israel Trade Union Dialogue, Delegation to Israel and Palestine, 10-16 November 2019, accessed 11 November 2026.
- ↑ Britain Israel Trade Union Dialogue, Delegation, 30 October - 5 November 2022, accessed 11 November 2026.
- ↑ Conservative Friends of Israel, Written evidence (TUP0009) to the Select Committee on Trade Union Political Funds and Political Party Funding, 10 February 2016, paragraph 20 and Annex A, accessed 11 November 2026.
- ↑ Britain Israel Trade Union Dialogue, BITUD Statement TUC Congress 2024, accessed 11 November 2026.
- ↑ Britain Israel Trade Union Dialogue, Legal Notice, accessed 11 November 2026.
- ↑ Companies House, Company name searches for "trade union friends of israel" and "britain israel trade union dialogue", run 11 November 2026 (no company of either name found).
- ↑ Electoral Commission, Donations and loans search: searches for the names Trade Union Friends of Israel, TUFI, Britain Israel Trade Union Dialogue, BITUD and Trade Union Friends returned no records as donor or recipient, records read on 11 November 2026 through the Commission's CSV export of the same search, accessed 11 November 2026.
- ↑ UK Parliament, Register of Members' Financial Interests API, all current registered interests downloaded and searched for "Trade Union Friends", "TUFI", "BITUD" and "Britain Israel Trade Union" on 11 November 2026 (no matches; the API holds current interests only).