On Thursday, Histadrut International Relations Director Peter Lerner addressed the International Labor Organization (ILO) conference in Geneva, highlighting the Histadrut’s role in protecting workers’ rights and building a better society during the ongoing war.
“Even in war, workers rise. They show up. They keep hospitals running. They keep goods moving. They keep life going. And it’s for them, for their dignity, for their rights, for their future that I stand here today,” Lerner said.
Lerner noted that the Histadrut predates the establishment of the state of Israel. “Nations aren't built by borders,” he said. “Nations are built by builders, by workers, by people who wake up early, stay late, and carry the weight of entire economies on their backs.”
He referenced the two general strikes led by the Histadrut over the past two years—one in March 2023 in response to the firing of Defense Minister Yoav Gallant and the broader judicial overhaul, and one in September 2024 in an effort to ensure a hostage deal after the devastating news of the death of six hostages.
“When Israeli democracy came under threat, we shut the country down. Because justice doesn’t defend itself,” Lerner said. “When political paralysis left hostages in enemy hands, we stopped everything. Because silence in the face of suffering is betrayal.”
Lerner highlighted the achievements for workers the Histadrut has secured amid the chaos of war. “We secured national protections for workers. We kept wages stable and increased the national minimum wage. We guaranteed job security even under missile fire. We expanded collective bargaining. We organized new sectors from care workers to transport to tech and finance. We fought for foreign workers in Israel. For equal pay for women, for the rights of all, not just for some. We didn’t wait for the storm to pass. We became the anchor,” he said.
Challenges in Israeli society abound, Lerner said, highlighting mistreatment of gig workers, growing inequality, and climate change as just a few examples.
He went on to say that unions can shape the future to address these challenges and build a better world. “I come from a region torn by conflict,” he said. “I know what fear feels like. I know grief. I know anger. But I also know this. An Israeli nurse and a Palestinian technician can work side by side, and they do. They can dream side by side, and they do. And they hope for the very same thing. Peace, dignity, and a future for their children. And that is what we must fight for. Not a world of division, but a world of solidarity. So let us rise, not just in defense of labor, but in defense of hope.”
“Solidarity cannot just be a slogan. It’s a promise to every worker in every corner of the world,” he said. He ended his speech with a call for solidarity and to return the hostages.
The ILO conference, which opened last Monday, is ongoing until Thursday.
Last Wednesday, Israel’s minister of labor, Yoav Ben Tzur, addressed the conference. He emphasized the importance of the ILO and called for the body to maintain its independence and nonpolitical status.
“Any involvement of the organization in matters unrelated to the labor market could betray its noble and central purpose and cause harm to the rapid development of the global economy and to the rights of billions of workers around the world,” Ben Tzur said.
Lerner described an uneasy environment for the Israeli delegation. “The conference is taking place during a complicated period for Israel, with the war present in the hallways of the UN headquarters, and the war comes up in every conversation,” he told Davar. “During the conference, the status of the Palestinians was upgraded to that of a non-state observer member.”
He said that one of the central discussions in the conference relates to the establishment of a global convention regarding platform work. The discussions are held according to the ILO’s tripartite model, involving representatives from government, industry, and unions.
“There are clear conflicting positions between the position of employers who are not interested in the convention, and the workers who really want to create a global standard on the subject, and some of the governments,” Lerner said. “One thing is clear: it will be difficult to create a consensus.”
Other important aspects of the conference included meetings with partners from other international unions, participation in solidarity events with Ukrainian unions, the passage of a decision to hold Myanmar responsible for actions against workers, and the promotion of a plan to train Israeli unions in partnership with the ILO, Lerner said.
