Freight Transport

Dockworkers have said they will refuse to offload an Israeli ship that is due to arrive in Durban on Sunday Sharon Gill reports

According to COSATU spokesperson Patrick Craven, the refusal to handle the Israeli vessel is in protest against "apartheid Israel"

The move is part of a week-long action, with COSATU, the Palestine Solidarity Committee and the Young Communist League announcing a series of protests in Durban, Johannesburg, Cape Town and Benoni

Meanwhile, COSATU has called on other workers and unions to boycott all goods to and from Israel "until Palestine is free", and the SA Transport & Allied Workers' Union (SATAWU) says its members are committed to not handling Israeli goods

COSATU said that Western Australian members of the Maritime Union of Australia have also decided to refuse to handle Israeli goods in a campaign for boycotts, divestment and sanctions against Israel, and the Palestinian Boycott, Divestment & Sanctions National Committee, BNC, has voiced its support for the Durban dockworkers' decision

However, according to an Israel National News report, Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesman Yigal Palmor commented: "If these people think that by refusing to unload ships from Israel that they are advancing peace, they need to go back to school since they are mistaken in their understanding of assessing the situation in the Middle East"

This isn't the first time that Durban dockworkers have made their presence felt Last year they refused to unload the Chinese vessel An Yue Jiang because its cargo of arms was destined for Zimbabwe The ship left Durban with its unwelcome cargo untouched, and with reports suggesting that it might attempt to unload at a port in either Namibia or Mozambique, SATAWU mobilised dockworkers across Southern Africa The last reports of the An Yue Jiang said the ship and its cargo had been recalled to China

While the International Transport Workers' Federation voiced its support for the anti-An Yue Jiang action, it isn't saying too much this time round

An ITF spokesperson told eyefortransport: "At this stage we're not involved So far it's been the decision of our union members that we should push for a ceasefire and do all we can to alleviate suffering in Gaza through the provision of aid

"With the help of our transport unions in the area and in conjunction withthe Red Crescent and the Palestinian and Jordanian trade union federations, the ITF has been able to organise the sending of two planeloads of essential medical and food aid suppliesWe also hope to get a truck convoy of aid through to Gaza next week We remain in constant contact with our members in the region to find out how best we are able to help them, and that is the action that they have currently requested"

There's a certain degree of poetic justice in the South African dockworkers' action

Back in 1963, long before South Africa became the world's favourite "rainbow nation", dockworkers in Denmark refused to handle a ship loaded with South African goods The cargo wasn't welcome in Sweden either, nor Liverpool nor San Francisco

South Africa was on the receiving end of sanctions and boycotts for thirty years Now the boot is on the other foot