On Wednesday, Dec. 15, at the gate of the factory in Mishor Adumim, the Ta’aman workers told the world that their struggle stands together with the struggle of Kellogg’s workers in the US. They raised the banner: “Palestinians on strike at Ta’aman stand in Solidarity with the striking Kellogg’s workers for a fair contract.”
This meeting with MAAN organizer Yoav Gal Tamir was the first since the end of the strike. The atmosphere was one of strong commitment, with workers conveying their confidence in their path and noting that no one has been punished since the strike. They drew attention to the fact that with MAAN’s support, a problem with entry permits for thirteen of them has been solved. This problem concerned the lack of coordination between the Palestinian Health Ministry and the Israeli Civil Administration concerning Covid vaccinations (which the thirteen have had). In this effort MAAN was assisted by LEAP, an initiative of lawyers who oppose the arbitrary prevention of permits.
Gal Tamir read Arabic translations of solidarity statements from UNISON General Secretary Christina McAnea, from the FNV in the Netherlands, and from the Basque union ELA. The UNISON statement read “On behalf of UNISON’s 1.3 million members working in public services in the UK, we send our solidarity… MAAN is a powerful voice for Palestinian workers and we are proud to have supported your union’s excellent work…for over a decade.”
The workers vowed to continue their struggle until the company recognizes the union and accepts their demands for a pension scheme and a wage scale linked to seniority and professional skills.
