ANTI- SWEATSHOP ACTIVISTS AGAINST APARTHEID

STATEMENT

Translations of the statement can be found here.

As trade unionists, activists and campaigners who raise our voices against injustice, racism, and the legacy of colonisation in the garment industry, we will not stand by in silence and watch the ongoing brutality of settler colonialism unfold. This is an issue of land rights and self-determination.  

Israel’s continued colonisation of Palestine has been achieved through apartheid, ethnic cleansing, and genocide.  

WHY IS THIS A FASHION INDUSTRY ISSUE?  

Exploitation in the garment industry is deeply ingrained in racist business models that rely on underpaid labour in the Global South.  

This sustains the harsh legacy of colonialism, as this continued extraction of wealth under capitalism depends on subordinating non-white communities.  

The exploitative practices of the garment industry in Palestine illustrate the stark reality for workers under Israel’s occupation.  

Israeli garment manufacturers outsource production to Gaza, where equally skilled workers are paid significantly less than their counterparts in Israel.  

Israeli manufacturers take advantage of the high unemployment rate in Gaza, forcing workers to accept any wage or working condition.  

Here we see how race is intrinsically linked to capitalism in the garment industry and how this operates via colonialism. Israeli companies profit by driving down the wages of the Palestinian people, perpetuating their subjugation.  

The once thriving Palestinian textile sector has been severely hit by challenges arising from the ongoing occupation.  

Among other obstacles, checkpoints in all territories delay deliveries and the current siege in Gaza limits access to essential resources such as electricity and materials.  

As a result, factory owners are forced to make tough choices, including reducing wages, in order to survive. Brands profit from the continued colonisation of Palestine by:  

• Sourcing from manufacturers with factories on stolen and illegally occupied land,  
• Operating their own stores on stolen and illegally occupied land,  
• Through sponsorship deals that legitimise the continued building of illegal settlements on Palestinian land (see BDS Movement page on PUMA for more).  

We follow the calls for international solidarity issued by Palestinians from Gaza and beyond and call for:  

• An immediate ceasefire and end to the attacks on Gaza  
• The urgent restoration of all essential supplies and humanitarian aid  
• An end to Israel’s evacuation orders for hospitals in Gaza  
• The siege on Gaza to be lifted  
• An end to the continued western export of arms, military technology and economic support for Israel  
• An end to the illegal occupation of Palestine.  

In response to Palestinian trade unions’ call for international action against companies complicit in implementing Israel’s brutal and illegal siege, we commit:

1. To expose and take action against fashion brands profiting from Israel’s occupation of Palestine;
2. To pass motions and take action against the manufacture, transportation and handling of garments used by Israel in its occupation of Palestine, e.g. military, police, prison officer uniforms.