Is The Israel Lobby Coming For Your Rights At Work?

Right, so are our workplaces vulnerable to the Israel Lobby? Well, a couple of stories here might expose just how they might be, especially if, as you should be, you belong to a trade union to look out for your interests in your workplace. But just like political parties, trade unions have elections for who run them, who their presidents, or general secretaries are, who sit on their boards, the old adage of trade union barons spread by right wing media rags, is and always has been a nonsense, the real barons own those papers after all, but just as we’ve seen Israel Lobby interference in political party leadership challenges, Keir Starmer becoming Labour leader whilst not telling us who funded him during the campaign? Anyone remember that? Well it was the Israel Lobby wasn’t it? If he’d told us we might not have him inflicted on us as PM now, but there we are. So it seems it might be happening in the trade union as well, Israel Lobby interference having just won the day again – temporarily perhaps at least – in a trade union election, but its also far from the only example and so how all of our unions, no matter which we belong to and again I reiterate, we all should belong to at least one, view the situation in Gaza and view their relations with Israel and what their actions are as well as their words on such matters should be of importance to us all, because if the Israel Lobby can interfere with who runs our unions, then if we need them in the workplace and we happen to be antizionist, who are the Unions going to be working for – our interests, or theirs?
Right, so trade unions are enormously important and I will always advocate for belonging to one, especially in these days of such rampant job uncertainty and insecurity, they have long been the bastion of worker solidarity, champions of fair employment practices, and defenders of democratic rights. Their role in securing improved working conditions, fair pay, and a voice for the marginalised is vital to any functioning society. They are that important and attacks upon them should be viewed as attacks upon all of us, but that doesn’t put them above criticism when it is due. Recent developments suggest that even these bedrocks of democracy are not immune to external influence—specifically, influence from pro-Israel lobbies and interests seeking to steer union leadership and policy from the shadows in Israel’s interest and there’s a prime of this going on right now.
The recent turmoil in the NASUWT teaching union following the uncontested election of Matt Wrack as General Secretary and the reasons this has become an issue have a distinctively Zionist taint to them it seems. Wrack is an experienced union leader, he is the former General Secretary of the Fire Brigades Union, the FBU and he assumed the position of NASUWT GenSec without competition, having been the only candidate to receive enough nominations to stand. Yet his appointment was immediately thrown into chaos by a legal challenge, apparently spearheaded by former NASUWT president Paul Butler—an individual who was not even eligible for the role under the union’s own rules, because despite his previous role, he’s no longer a member of the union.
This upheaval it seems, has an awful lot to do with Wrack’s longstanding public support for a certain Jeremy Corbyn, the former Labour leader vilified by pro-Israel groups during his tenure, still attacked for being an antisemite even now, despite it never having been true and not a scrap of evidence to back it up, has made Wrack a target for antisemitism smears by association it seems, despite, like Corbyn, there being no credible evidence to suggest Wrack himself has ever held or expressed antisemitic views. Instead, the campaign against him bears all the hallmarks of the same politically motivated attacks that plagued Corbyn—weaponising antisemitism allegations to discredit and derail left-wing, pro-worker leadership.
Reinforcing that belief, pro Israel hack Lee Harpin of The Jewish News, an outlet with an established record of highly partisan reporting, to put it politely, on these matters, published a story amplifying this line of thinking, suggesting Jewish members were "alarmed" by Wrack’s appointment and framing his leadership as evidence that the NASUWT and the NEU under Daniel Kebede, meant that both major teaching unions in this country are now under "far-left" control. Par for the ocurse for such a horrible right wing rag. Such language does not merely criticize—it vilifies, and by doing so positions support for social justice and international solidarity as well as workers rights, as espoused by both Corbyn and Wrack as a threat to Jewish people and right wing people, preferably both, such is the, I would like to think nominal readership of that gutter rag. Any leader in effect who refuses to bend to pro-Israel orthodoxy, as peddled by such papers is demonised, regardless of their record on equality and inclusion, or anything resembling the truth in my view.
The truly scandalous aspect here however, lies in the legitimacy of the challenge itself. Matt Wrack was uncontested because he was the only candidate to secure the necessary nominations. Butler, meanwhile, was barred under NASUWT rules due to his lack of active membership at the time of the election. Yet, inexplicably, Butler’s challenge—backed by unknown financial sources—has resulted in Wrack being reduced to “interim” General Secretary pending a court injunction. So is it not a fair and pressing question to ask: who is funding this effort?
Given the established patterns of the Israel lobby funding political interventions in the UK, including the well-documented financial backing of Keir Starmer’s Labour leadership campaign, the suspicion that pro-Israel interests might be behind Butler’s court case is not far-fetched. It is an uncomfortable but necessary question for anyone concerned with democratic integrity in our unions, to ask who is funding this action. It’s not a cheap action, according to Harpin, Mishcon De Reya have been hired, the same firm Starmer tried to go second jobbing for under Jeremy Corbyn’s leadership, which Corbyn blocked.
Now on one hand there are concerns being voiced by some that Matt Wrack, having never been a teacher, shouldn’t be leading a teaching union. Well he secured the nominations, so some teachers are clearly fine with it, and having run a public service union before, he has experience of running a union if not of being a teacher. What do you need more in running a union? Equally, back to the pro Israel side of things, a quote not in the Jewish News, but an outlet that is seen by many as just as bad when it comes to pro Israel positioning, the Guardian, wrote:
‘The Partnership for Jewish Schools said Wrack’s nomination was “deeply troubling”, adding: “The many Jewish members of the NASUWT are likely to find this appointment particularly challenging. Educational unions must represent the interests of all members without prejudice or bias.”’
I bet many of them don’t have an issue with it too. Who is this school and why is their one-sided view so important that it gets mainstream media coverage?
Importantly though, this is not an isolated case either. Evidence suggests that the Israel lobby’s reach into UK trade unions extends beyond NASUWT. Within Unite, my union, there have been deeply troubling signs of a similar pattern of influence, only arguably far more successful.
Sharon Graham, the Unite GenSec has systematically undermined international solidarity efforts, particularly those aimed at supporting Palestine. At Unite’s upcoming 2025 policy conference coming in July, a motion has been included that seeks to drastically curtail the union’s engagement in international solidarity campaigns, effectively ending its historical support for workers facing oppression abroad unless directly linked to UK jobs.
Now, such a narrowing of focus may seem pragmatic to some of you. Yet, it represents a betrayal of Unite’s fundamental internationalist principles. Worse, it appears designed to stifle pro-Palestinian advocacy within the union, something Sharon Graham has built quite the track record up of doing now, an area where the Israeli government and its lobbying arms have focused considerable efforts to silence dissent.
As always, the go to source for all things Sharon Graham is Skwawkbox, who quote Jewish member and anti-genocide activist Gary Ostrolenk as saying in regards of this motion:
‘Motion 90 is dishonestly called “International solidarity and collective bargaining” (page 79 of the Preliminary Agenda). It calls for an end to any affiliations, relationships and actions that don’t directly benefit the jobs, pay and conditions of UK Unite members. Submitted by the Bromley Council branch, it has the fingerprints of our General Secretary and NEC Chair all over it.
This motion straight-forwardly REJECTS any form of INTERNATIONAL SOLIDARITY BETWEEN WORKERS. Even if solidarity directly saves the lives (let alone jobs) of trade unionists in another country, it is to be ruled out. Trade unionists in countries such as Palestine. This is a RACIST AND IMPERIALIST proposal, in the worst traditions of right-wing British labour bureaucracy.
Solidarity between workers is the founding principle of our movement, and by definition is something that we show for the benefit of those with whom we stand in solidarity, not for our own direct benefit. (Of course, we are all stronger when we all stand together, but that is not what the motion has in mind.) This proposal is profoundly ANTI-WORKING CLASS.
THIS IS A SHAMEFUL PROPOSAL, using slippery and deceitful language to quietly outlaw expressions of international workers’ solidarity within our union. IT MUST BE DEFEATED.’
Graham’s leadership has also seen a grotesque alignment with the UK government’s increasing militarism on top of that. Last month she publicly applauded Labour shadow chancellor Rachel Reeves’ commitment to boost defence spending—“cuts for bombs” as critics have rightly described it because it seems as long as the bombs are made in Britain by British workers, their use—including potentially by Israel in its brutal military campaigns—is of little concern.
Perhaps even more shockingly, Graham has suspended Unite’s affiliation with the Stop The War Coalition as well, an organisation instrumental in protesting the ongoing genocide in Gaza, yet still at the very same time, she continues to funnel money into Keir Starmer’s Labour Party, despite the party's complicity in Israel’s atrocities.
The Unite4Palestine group—a body of grassroots Unite members—has accused Graham of a “systematic attack on democracy” within the union, deliberately designed to quash pro-Palestinian activism and silence dissent and really the question is why? What is her goal here? Why is she so seemingly avowed at being on the wrong side of public discourse on the matter of Gaza? Is the Israel Lobby involved here somewhere as well? Maybe asking that last question still seems a bit of a conclusion to jump to for some, but we see it go on time and again and if its believable when it comes to politicians why not other organisational leaders as well?
Graham has also banned Unite officials and union banners from pro Gaza protests, she has banned film screenings of the film Oh Jeremy Corbyn and book signings by pro Gaza journalists like Asa Winstanley. She demanded a pro Palestine fringe event at Labour conference in 2023 be scrapped and the official who refused to do it got placed under investigation and told her chief of staff to threaten a retiring official with the loss of their pension bonus if they didn’t soften their stance in supporting Palestine.
The implications of all of these developments across at least two unions as cited here, both in past months and in the here and now ought to be profoundly and deeply disturbing. If pro-Israel lobbying efforts can influence who leads our trade unions, dictate their policy agendas, and suppress international solidarity efforts as seems perfectly plausible given what has been going on here, what protections remain for rank-and-file members going forwards?
One of the unspoken dangers is the potential knock-on effect on workplace rights. If unions at the top are influenced or even compromised by pro-Israel interests, what happens to workers who face discrimination because of their political beliefs—particularly if they are openly anti-Zionist or supportive of Palestinian rights too? Its pro Palestine support abroad right now, but what next? Will unions stand up for these workers if doing so risks upsetting the Lobby or whoever else may be exerting pro-Israel influence from the shadows? Or will they be left to fend for themselves, abandoned by organisations that once prided themselves on protecting the marginalised, now picking and choosing despite membership dues being paid? It’s a hellishly dangerous precedent for workers to loose their most ardent representation.
We are already seeing signs that this danger is not hypothetical. As public discourse increasingly conflates anti-Zionism with antisemitism, falsely as that is, antisemitic itself as I see it, harming the fight against the real thing, there is a very real risk that workers who criticise Israel could face disciplinary action, professional ostracisation and worse—possibly loss of support on top from their unions.
Moreover, if unions become more beholden to lobbying interests rather than their own democratic memberships, broader issues of worker rights and protections could be compromised. Policies that serve corporate or political interests over worker welfare could become normalised, and the very notion of a union as a democratic, member-led organisation could be eroded, the doing of week and feeble leaders as that would be.
The interference being seen here in the NASUWT and Unite should serve as a warning. The question is not just about Palestine solidarity—it is about the future of the labour movement in the UK too. If we allow unions to be manipulated or captured by external lobbies, whoever they might be, as seems at work in these examples here to my mind, we undermine their ability to advocate for all workers, in all contexts when they need their union.
It is not conspiratorial to suggest that pro-Israel interests have a strategic reason to neutralise unions either. Organised labour has historically been one of the few sectors willing to stand in solidarity with oppressed peoples worldwide, social justice borne out of workers rights and the struggle and fight for them as they are. Silencing or weakening this only serves in modern day context to isolate Palestinian advocates and reinforcing Israel’s impunity to continue its atrocities and going forwards perhaps our rights in the workplace in due course.
However sometimes the lobby groups themselves are the ones doing the imploding. The Board of Deputies of British Jews for example have had an absolute mare and have made matters ten times worse for themselves in how they’ve responded to internal dissent, turning a fracture in their ranks over Israel into a gaping chasm! Get all the details of this story in this video recommendation here as your suggested next watch. Please do also hit like, share and subscribe if you haven’t done so already so as to ensure you don’t miss out on all new daily content, as well as supporting the channel at the same time, holding power to account for ordinary working class people and I will hopefully catch you on the next vid. Cheers folks.