Huge March in London Demands End to Israeli Occupation

Workers' Daily Internet Edition : Article Index :

Huge March in London Demands End to Israeli Occupation
Justice for Palestine – End the Israeli Occupation!

Lecturers Vote For Two-Day Strike
NATFHE Ballot Result
NATFHE’s Answers to Questions on the Pay Dispute
Key Facts in the NATFHE Pay Dispute

The streets of Central London were taken over on Saturday May 18 when many thousands marched from Hyde Park to Trafalgar Square demanding an end to the Israeli occupation of Palestinian territory and an independent Free Palestine. The organisers, the Palestine Solidarity Campaign, estimated the crowd who finally jammed Trafalgar Square and the entire surrounding area at over 50,000.

The march had been noisy and colourful, with the chanting of slogans and beating of drums. Hundreds of Palestinian national flags streamed in the wind and one huge flag held high above the heads of marchers stretched back over 25 metres. As in several marches in recent months the participation was characteristically broad. Contingents marched behind trade union banners, notably T&G, UNISON, UCATT and NUT. Others comprised youth and students, peace and anti-war campaigners, and large representation from national minority communities, especially youth.

The mainstream media showed their true colours by boycotting the reporting of the march, whereas coverage had been given to the smaller pro-Zionist rally with its big name speakers. This shows that even Tony Blair’s so-called even-handed approach which equates the violence of the aggressors with that of the oppressed is a hollow charade

The demonstration and rally, as well as demanding peace with justice today for the Palestinian people, commemorated the 54th anniversary of Nakba (Catastrophe) Day of May 15, 1948. On that day, Palestinians were expelled at gunpoint from their motherland with the creation of the state of Israel.

The plinth at Trafalgar Square on May 18 was festooned with flags and banners. Speaker after speaker was cheered to the echo by the huge crowd in the Square. Loud chanting and applause interrupted many speeches. At one side of the plinth stood a line of anti-Zionist rabbis in religious regalia.

Carole Regan of Palestine Solidarity Campaign, the organisers, opened the rally and introduced the speakers. She read messages of support from Mick Rix, General Secretary of ASLEF, and from the T&G.

Egyptian writer Nawal al Sadawi expressed her gratitude for the massive turnout. She spoke of the terrible suffering of the Palestinian people at the hands of the Israeli Zionists. She said that Israel was literally getting away with murder. Why were they not punished, she asked. Only because of the support of the West, particularly the US. Zionism must be defeated she said. Israel must be boycotted and isolated as was apartheid South Africa. The world must be rid of this evil.

Mike Marqusee of Stop the War Coalition said that an attack on Iraq by the US and Britain was being held up due to the Palestinian resistance against Israeli aggression. Blair was losing support for such an attack every day. He called for a mass walkout from workplaces and classrooms if the attack against Iraq went ahead and for a huge mobilisation for a September demo in London against US imperialism.

Paul Mackney, General Secretary of NATFHE, said that the march was part of a great world movement demanding justice for the Palestinian people. He expressed solidarity with the university community on the West Bank and in Israel itself. He called on British universities to sever all academic links with Israel until Israeli withdrawal from the occupied territories, until full access to education was accorded Palestinians and until Israel complied with UN resolutions. He said Tony Blair must carry much of the blame for the Israeli atrocities. Sharon had merely mimicked Bush and Blair, who had given him the green light by their undefined " War on Terror". He said the war on Afghanistan saw powerful nations ignoring fundamental principles. They were planning to extend the war to Iraq. But we were not part of this "we" they talked about. Not in our name, he said! He called for an end to arms to Israel and for solidarity with the Palestinian people.

Anas Altikviti of the Muslim Association of Britain recalled the other huge demonstration in Central London in April which had condemned the Israeli atrocities. He denounced Bush and Blair for their half-hearted "complaints" about the atrocities and called for a boycott of Israeli goods and sanctions against Israel.

Kate Hudson of CND expressed solidarity with the struggle of the Palestinian people for peace and justice. She said the suffering of the Palestinian people was a bleeding wound on the body of humanity. But the military might of Israel would not crush the Palestinian people. Remember Vietnam, she said. The unity of a people fighting for liberation cannot be crushed. She pointed out that Israel had nuclear weapons, yet these weapons of mass destruction went unchallenged by George Bush and Tony Blair. This was criminal hypocrisy. She paid tribute to the Israeli soldiers refusing to serve in the occupied territories and to Mordecai Vanunu, still held in solitary confinement after 15 years for exposing Israeli nuclear plans. She said the US was hell-bent on attacking Iraq. But they could not do so with the Palestinian struggle at such a height. The Palestinians were putting an obstacle to US plans and all were in their debt. They must not be left to shoulder the burden themselves. We must leave no stone unturned to build the peace movement, she said.

Jeremy Corbyn MP said it was a magnificent demonstration. Far bigger, he said, than the one two weeks ago, referring to the much-touted pro-Israeli gathering. He said there would be no peace in the world without justice and the greatest injustice had been done to the Palestinian people since 1948. He recalled the dreadful record of Ariel Sharon and said here surely was a man for the International Criminal Court to put on trial. For fifty years the UN had passed resolution upon resolution supporting the rights of the Palestinian people. Israel had ignored them all. So when the US and Britain gave lectures to Iraq about UN Resolutions it must be remembered Israel has breached more UN Resolutions than all the other countries put together. Normally breaches of international law led to sanctions, but Israel had a bottomless pit of arms and support. Tony Blair had described Sharon as a "man of peace" in the Paxman interview, but the facts spoke otherwise. He said the message to Tony Blair was no arms, no aid, no trade with Israel until complete withdrawal from Palestinian lands and the recognition of an independent Palestinian state. There could be no peace by bombing innocent civilians. We would be here again and again until peace and justice were achieved.

Reverend Garth Hewitt of the Amos Trust said that humanity was on trial today with Jenin and the 35-year occupation of the West Bank. There was a moral right and responsibility to challenge government and religious leaders and speak up for justice. He recalled Martin Luther King’s words that none would be free till all were free. The Israeli occupation was the root cause of the suffering of the Palestinian people and must end, he said. Israel must reconcile with its neighbours. The Israeli Defence Force had shown utter disrespect for the Church of the Nativity, for both Christians and Muslims. He condemned its desecration, as that of all synagogues and mosques. He called for an end to the Israeli occupation and for a free Palestine.

Ismail Musl Batail of Friends of al Aqsa spoke of fifty years of oppression of the Palestinian people. He said Tony Blair’s predecessors had supported apartheid; he was carrying this forward. He called for a boycott of Israeli goods. He said Israeli aggression was sustained by the West, by the US and Britain, and must stop. He said the government should heed the opinions of one million Muslims who would vote for peace and justice.

Michel Abdul Massih, a Palestinian QC, said the rally would have a great impact. He said Jenin brought great shame on Israel. He called for a boycott of Israeli goods and for the government to break diplomatic ties with Israel, which had breached every UN Resolution. He said the Palestinian people would continue to resist.

Carole Regan then read extracts from a statement by the anti-Zionist rabbis present on the platform. They said that the world stands aghast at the atrocities of the Zionist regime. Words could not express the horror of Palestinians driven from their homes. The history of Zionism was a history of state sponsored terrorism. The Zionist movement, claiming to speak in the name of Judaism, desecrated this religion.

UNISON spokesman John McFadden pledged the support of his union for the Palestinian people. He spoke of ambulances crushed under tanks, hospitals attacked, yet not once had Israel been condemned by governments. He quoted President Arafat asking: "How can the international community stand by?" There was no answer. The answer was in this demonstration, he said. He called for a boycott of Israeli goods and for justice for the Palestinian people.

Betty Hunter, Secretary of PSC, said that this was the start of a mass campaign. No longer could the world ignore it. She said the demonstration was saying to the Israeli government and their supporters that this situation could not be allowed to continue. The Israeli occupation must end and a viable independent Palestinian state established. She said our government was shameful. Tony Blair should be ashamed of his apologies for Sharon and the Israeli government. The demonstration showed the support from across the country and from all walks of life. The PSC had worked for a long time, but this was the start of a truly mass movement, akin to anti-apartheid. This was the movement for a free Palestine, part of which is the boycott of Israeli goods and a national petition.

Afif Safieh, Palestinian delegate to the UK, denounced Ariel Sharon. He said the pro-Zionist demonstration two weeks ago had shown the bankruptcy of their ideas. We here stood for the principles of the UN Charter, that there was only one kind of human. He condemned the desecration of synagogues and cemeteries, but decried the campaign, mainly emanating from the US, that opposition to the Israeli government constituted anti-semitism. He said the Palestinian people were driven by their sense of identity and sovereignty, the desire to rid themselves of bondage. He said in 1967 the occupation had occurred in six days. It must and could be withdrawn in six days! We shall overcome, he ended.

George Galloway MP said only one man in the world could believe Ariel Sharon was a "man of peace". Sharon himself must have laughed when he heard George W Bush say this! His own boast is the opposite. Yet now another man believed it too – Tony Blair! Blair said that Arafat was letting down the Palestinian people, but it was he, Blair, who was letting them down. He was still selling weapons to Sharon. All the way back to Balfour, he said, British leaders had given away the land of other people. Blair’s actions were not in our name, George Galloway said, not in the name of millions of British people. He called for a boycott of Israeli goods, also of US monopolies, as no crimes were committed without US support in arms and aid. The US was behind all the deaths, he said. He had just returned from the occupied lands, he carried on, with the dust of Jenin on his boots, a reminder of the heroism of those who had fought until they could fight no more, in defence of families, honour, and religion. They had stopped fighting only when they had run out of ammunition, betrayed by corrupt Arab regimes. He compared Gaza to Stalingrad, waiting for the Israelis to come. Victory to the Intifada, he concluded.

Journalist Yvonne Ridley said that Colin Powell had claimed there was no massacre at Jenin. He had said the same about My Lai. The UN investigation had been denied by Sharon, who wanted to keep the world out of Jenin. But it was "ethnic cleansing". Tony Blair’s silence on Jenin would come back to haunt him, she said. The name of Jenin would live for ever.

Actor Corin Redgrave spoke about the destruction of cultural facilities in Ramallah and other West Bank cities. It revealed the nature of the occupiers. What sort of state could do this, he asked. And what sort of government did we have in this country, claiming an ethical foreign policy? He called for all artists to refuse to perform in Israel, instead to go to the West Bank.

Iqbal Sakranie of the Muslim Council of Britain said there would never be peace without justice. Feelings today transcended religious differences. There must be a change in the policy of the government. The occupation must end and the refugees be allowed to return to their homeland.

John Austin MP expressed the support of the All-Party Palestinian Committee who were sending a delegation to Palestine in the next week. He said Tony Blair had voiced support for an independent Palestinian state at last year’s Labour Party Conference, but we needed action not mere words. He condemned Jack Straw’s "even-handed" claim. It was not an even struggle, he said. This was both an international humanitarian issue and a domestic issue. It showed the hypocrisy and double standards of the British government. Jenin would not be forgotten, or Sabra and Shatila. The myth must be exposed that Arafat had refused a reasonable offer at Camp David. That offer amounted to permanent occupation and the annexing of East Jerusalem. There could be no peace without justice, without the end to any occupation of Palestinian territory.

Dr Ghada Karmi, Vice Chair of CHABU, thanked all the marchers on behalf of the people of occupied Palestine. They would never forget, she said. Let Ariel Sharon know that in London begins the march to victory. Be proud, she said. Palestine would be free!

Actor and TV presenter Michael Rosen said he was born a Jew but expressed full solidarity with the Palestinian people. He himself had renounced the "right of return". He had never been to Israel. Sharon claimed to defend the Jewish people, but "self-defence" could not be at the expense of other peoples. US support for Israel, he pointed out, was linked with vital US strategic interests in the Middle East, stable access to oil.

Saheed Iqbal of the Human Rights Islamic League said what was occurring in Palestine was against God and humanity. The US and Israel were the enemies of human rights.

Tirza Waisel of Just Peace spoke as a Jewish person standing in solidarity with the Palestinian people against Israeli occupation. She described the large demonstrations which were taking place in Tel Aviv and Jerusalem against the occupation, as well as the refusal of over 1,000 Israeli soldiers to serve in the occupied territories.

A Palestinian student said this was a global cause. He called for a free Palestine and said we shall overcome.

Monica Brady of PSC reported on the arrests now totalling over 6,000 in the occupied territories since the Intifada began. She also spoke of the wrongful arrest and imprisonment on trumped up charges in Britain of Samar Alami and Jawad Botmeh. They had been framed by the British government to appease Israel, she said, for crimes widely believed to involve Israeli intelligence. The British government had imposed "gagging" orders to prevent the injustice being made public.

An Arabic poet then recited verses to great acclaim.

Naomi Wayne of Jews for Justice for Palestinians spoke, she said, as a Jew disgusted with the Israeli government. The victims of oppression should never become oppressors. Their actions were not in our name, she said. She recalled that two weeks ago her organisation had staged a vigil in opposition to the pro-Zionist rally in the Square.

Carole Regan on behalf of PSC concluded the rally by calling on all the participants to step up the campaign to end the Israeli occupation of Palestinian territory and to establish a free independent Palestine.

Members of the lecturers' union NATFHE have voted by two to one to stage walkouts on Tuesday and Wednesday, May 28 and 29, over what the union described as an insulting 1.5% pay offer from the Association of Colleges (AoC). NATFHE said that college staff had been pulled from pillar to post over the appallingly low pay levels in further education. More than 32,000 FE lecturers in 280 colleges across England and Wales are expected to take part in the action.

The strike plan follows a 4% pay rise last year in a long-running dispute over pay in the FE sector. Lecturers have long complained their pay is less than that of classroom teachers. Figures from NATFHE show that some FE lecturers start on an annual salary as low as £13,745, rising to £25,000 at the top of the scale. Teachers on the other hand, following a 3.5% pay rise announced in January, can expect to start on a salary of £17,628, with most earning £25,746.

NATFHE’s industrial action is aimed at closing this growing pay gap between college lecturers and school teachers. Currently, college lecturers’ pay is some 10% behind that of their school teacher colleagues.

NATFHE general secretary Paul Mackney said: "Our members are clearly incensed at the insulting 1.5% offer from the employers. The employers say they want to pay lecturers salaries comparable to school teachers', but offer 2% less! The government keep saying they want to improve lecturers' pay but have yet to come through with the cash."

NATFHE was anticipating that a revised offer would be made today, May 20. However, the AoC informed the union that it is unable to do so at this stage, and the National Joint Forum arranged for this date will now not go ahead.

Chief Executive of the AoC David Gibson said, "We greatly regret the decision of NATFHE nationally to strike over pay, especially at this time of the year when exams are about to take place."

He said that the action was premature because the AoC, trade unions and student representatives had been lobbying Chancellor Gordon Brown in advance of this summer's spending review. "Because of chronic underfunding, many colleges are finding it difficult or impossible to pay their lecturers and other staff better salaries," David Gibson said. He said that it is a great shame that NATFHE had taken such action before the outcome of the joint endeavours was seen.

He added, "Colleges will do everything necessary to ensure that despite this action, students' education is not put at risk."

Although the lecturers' strike comes in the exam season, the National Union of Students said it supported the action. NUS president Owain James said, "NUS supports NATFHE's pay claim and is pleased the union has put contingency plans in place to ensure that students will not being penalised. Students have a right to decent tuition and recognise that the disparity in pay leads not only to demotivation, but will ultimately force the best lecturers away from the sector."

NATFHE embers have voted 2-1 for strike action and 8-1 for action short of strike in support of our pay claim. The results of the ballot held across over 280 colleges in England and Wales are as follows:

Strike action
Number of votes cast 14,602
Number of Yes votes 9,462
Number of No votes 4,986
Number of spoilt papers 154

Action short of a strike
Number of votes cast 14602
Number of Yes votes 12,739
Number of No votes 1,661
Number of spoilt papers 202

How is the dispute likely to affect students?

We will be doing everything we can to minimise the disruption to students

We are concerned that, in the long run, students’ education may be compromised anyway if we do nothing now. Colleges are having increasing difficulties recruiting and retaining staff in key areas such as business studies, IT, accounting and languages. Why would a talented IT graduate go into teaching when he or she could earn a six-figure salary in a dot com company?

Students are equally concerned at being taught by poorly paid, overworked lecturers.

Lecturers already earn pretty good salaries - don’t they?

Actually, lecturers earn 30 per cent less than those working in comparable professions.

School teacher starting salaries are to rise to £17,628. A lecturer starts on £16,030 – many on even less because of variations between college pay arrangements.

A typical lecturer in an FE college earns £2,000 - £4,000 less than a secondary school teacher.

But colleges aren’t a priority for the government are they?

Colleges are said to be at the centre of the Learning and Skills Councils strategy for education and training and the government’ ambitious plans. We have been assured of this. They must invest in quality teaching.

But isn’t the problem that colleges simply cannot afford such large pay rises?

FE colleges have been under-funded for the last decade. This government has begun to invest in FE but not enough to date. NATFHE has been campaigning with other unions and employers for extra funding for lecturers’ pay. But at the end of the day, colleges have the final responsibility to plan for and pay appropriate salaries.

We have asked Estelle Morris to release some of her department’s £1.4bn underspend to fund a decent pay increase now and we’re looking for a cash hike from Chancellor Gordon Brown in the Comprehensive Spending Review for 2003/4-5/6.

What about the Teaching’ Pay Initiative?

While we welcome the extra money for lecturers’ pay, it’s just not enough and will do little to end the disparity between school teachers’ and lecturers’ pay. Schools got an additional 8% on the paybill for this whilst FE got only 2.6%.

It’s not a national scheme. Different colleges do different things with the money. Some who have used it for pay haven’t consolidated the cash into the pay scale.

Our dispute is over the employers’ 1.5% pay offer not the money allocated under the Teachers’ Pay Initiative which colleges are spending in various ways.

Further education

q caters for some 4million students every year

q is the leading provider of learning for 16-19s

q provides over 40% of home entrants to HE

q delivers learning to 11% of HE students

q is the engine of basic skills delivery

q is the principal provider of vocational qualifications

q some 40% of colleges have partnerships with schools re 14-16 year olds

Pay

College employers have pledged to bridge the 10% gap between lecturers’ and schoolteachers’ pay by 2004. But so far, progress has been slow. Their response to this year’s pay claim is an offer of 1.5%.

The pay gap has grown. Schoolteachers get pay rises worth 5% from September. They will reach the top of their pay scales in five years.

School teacher starting salaries rise to £17,628. A lecturer starts on £16,030 – many on even less because of variations between college pay arrangements.

A schoolteacher in the job for five years will earn £25,746. A lecturer working for five years may earn £21,374 – i.e. £4,372 less. Around 65% of colleges still block lecturers from moving up the scales at all.

q Lecturers struggle to cope with spiralling workloads.

q Low pay is hitting recruitment of managers and lecturers - especially in key skill areas like IT, maths, construction and engineering.

q Young graduates are turning their backs on the profession.

q 70% of FE colleges have full-time teaching vacancies.

q Lecturers are leaving colleges to work in schools.

q The quality of education FE students get is bound to suffer.

The government says colleges are key to its learning and skills agenda. They’ve been at the heart of widening access to education. Student numbers are still rising, whilst pressure for curriculum expansion continue. Colleges are now even being asked to teach students from 14 years upwards.

College staff have met every demand. Lecturers do the same job as schoolteachers, sometimes working side by side. They deserve equal pay.

It’s parity time

For the first time, all the college unions have joined together to demand pay parity with schools and other public sector workers. We want:

· A substantial pay rise to make real progress on parity this year.

· shorter pay scales to allow faster progression

· A national agreement on holidays and working hours

Parity promises are a start, but college staff want fair pay now.

(NATFHE: It’s Parity Time)