Irish law must protect workers who conscientiously object to co-operate with genocide says Smith
Labour Party TD and Party Whip Duncan Smith has today (Monday 21st October) called on the Government to allocate time before the dissolution of the Dail to pass the Occupied Territories Bill and to introduce a suite of measures aimed at taking real action in support of ending the horror in Palestine and Lebanon.
The call comes as the Israeli military siege of northern Gaza enters its third week with access to food, water, medicine and vital services cut off for an estimated 400,000 trapped residents.
These measures include new emergency legislation that protects workers who refuse to handle produce from a country which is formally being investigated for genocide by the ICJ. This is in addition to the new Labour Bill that protects workers against dismissal for refusing to handle goods from the occupied territories in Palestine.
Smith said: “The Government must act now to introduce meaningful trade sanctions on Israel and to protect the growing number of workers who are objecting to cooperating in the movement of weaponry, munitions, troops destined for war zones or any activities that might support the execution of war crimes or genocide.
“We know the legal advice Government received recently only serves to strengthen the case for trade sanctions so we need to be getting on with it. Labour would go further and action a motion passed at a recent Connect Trade Union conference by passing legislation that protect workers against dismissal for refusing to handle goods produced by regimes formally being investigated for genocide by the ICJ.
“The current Government is almost out of time. A General Election is weeks away and every day that passes more innocent people are being slaughtered by the Israeli war machine. Now is the time to introduce more effective trade sanctions on Israel, to enact the Occupied Territories Bill and protect workers locally who conscientiously object to facilitating genocide.”
Unfair Dismissals Bill 2024 is available here.