The TUC was right to discuss international affairs at its annual congress. Unions have been involved in global solidarity actions for more than 150 years. In an increasingly globalised world, unions have to make their voices heard on issues affecting their members and working people abroad.
The problem is that the decision the TUC took to support boycotts, sanctions and divestment targeting Israel was the wrong one. The energetic campaign to target the most democratic and lively trade union federation in the Middle East, the Israeli Histadrut, is a disappointing case of misplaced priorities. Iran, not Israel, should have been the focus of TUC attention this year.
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