A major teaching union has been accused of failing Jewish teachers after adopting an Israeli boycott despite most members not wanting it. The NASUWT – the UK's second largest teaching union – has resolved to boycott goods and services from companies involved in Israeli institutions and settlements.
The decision was taken by union bosses in private, even though members failed to back it in a vote last month. It comes after the union appointed Corbynite former fireman Matt Wrack as its General Secretary, despite him having no teaching experience. This signals a swing to the Far-Left for the NASUWT, which was previously more moderate than Britain's other major union, the National Education Union (NEU).
One Jewish member from Essex said: 'The idea that they have adopted a motion sanctioning Israel while completely ignoring all the other countries around the world with questionable policies and human rights records makes me wonder how much longer NASUWT will be a safe space for Jewish members. I honestly despair as there doesn't seem to be anywhere else to turn.'
It is understood the boycott was contained in a list of motions sent round to members ahead of the union's annual conference, asking them which ones they would like debated and put to vote. However, the motion did not garner enough votes – suggesting most members did not see it as a priority – and it did not appear on the conference agenda. Despite this, union bosses, which included Mr Wrack, used their executive powers to pass the motion anyway, at their May meeting shortly after.
The motion resolves to boycott companies which profit from 'illegal settlements', and those working with the Israeli military or security services 'during the occupation of Palestine'. The boycott also extends to companies involved in 'the wall dividing Palestinians and Israelis'. And it 'reaffirms' the union's 'support for Palestinian rights'.
Another Jewish member, who teaches history and politics in London, said: 'I have now resigned from NASUWT. When I found out about this motion being passed, it was the final straw. The motion didn't win enough votes to be debated at the conference earlier this year and so it's appalling that they passed it anyway. When I wrote to them to ask why, they ignored my emails.' She said she had originally signed up to the NASUWT after leaving the NEU because of its 'obsession with Israel'. 'Teaching unions should be more interested in British schools than involving themselves in world affairs,' she added. 'It is telling that Israel is the only country they want to boycott. In the meantime, while Jewish people have been stabbed in the street, synagogues set on fire, and people are talking about the horrendous problem of antisemitism in schools, they haven't even tried to check in with their Jewish members.'
Alex Hearn, director of Labour Against Antisemitism said: 'Teaching unions like the NASUWT are letting down parents, children and their own members with their bizarre obsession with Israel. Instead of focusing on supporting teachers and children, we have trade union leaders pursuing their private vendettas against the world's only Jewish state.'
A spokesman for the Campaign Against Antisemitism said previous research has shown most British Jews view Israeli boycotts as 'intimidation'. They added: 'In seemingly defying its own members to pursue a crank vendetta against the Jewish State, NASUWT's leaders have made themselves part of this problem.'
Mr Wrack was appointed to lead the NASUWT, which has 178,000 members, last year following a battle with moderate factions of the union. Concerns were raised at the time as he was previously accused of being insensitive to the problem of antisemitism in the Labour party under Jeremy Corbyn, calling it 'so-called anti-Semitism' in 2016.
An NASUWT spokesman said the motion only related to companies involved in the organisations outlined, and added: 'It is not a boycott of Israel or Israeli goods more broadly.' They said: 'The motion reaffirms long standing TUC, STUC and ICTU positions on avoiding goods and services from companies linked to illegal settlements in the occupied Palestinian territories, in line with international law.'
It comes after the Mail on Sunday revealed the NEU, the country's other major teaching union, is plotting its worst strike in recent history after Christmas over pay. It plans to take advantage of new Labour rule changes to make striking easier, and will flood schools with pro-strike propaganda to recruit new members including dinner ladies, librarians and teaching assistants.
