Seeking to build coalitions
Histadrut envoy Avital Shapira Shabirow visits Australia to strengthen ties with unions and community leaders.
The Histadrut (General Federation of Labor in Israel)’s director of international relations Avital Shapira-Shabirow was recently in Australia to improve cooperation with trade unions.
She also met with politicians and Jewish community leaders.
Shapira-Shabirow told The AJN she came to Australia “to further strengthen relations with the Australian Council of Trade Unions and its affiliates, both bilaterally and internationally within the framework of the International Trade Union Confederation and global union federations”.
“I also emphasised the Histadrut’s commitment to protecting all workers in Israel regardless of ethnicity, religion, gender, sexual orientation or political preference, and to promoting equality, social justice, gender equality, women’s empowerment, LGBTQIA+ rights, peace and the fight against antisemitism,” she said.
Highlights of her visit included a Shabbat dinner at Bondi Mizrachi Synagogue, organised by the NSW Jewish Board of Deputies, meetings with Young Labor and the Labor Israel Action Committee (LIAC), and participation in World Plumbing Day in Melbourne, organised by Plumbing Industry Climate Action Centre.
Shapira-Shabirow said she received “strong support from Australian leaders, who value the Histadrut’s work for Israeli, migrant and Palestinian workers, as well as our commitment to peace, and who encouraged continued cooperation between our organisations.”
Turning to key challenges, Shapira-Shabirow pointed to “safeguarding workers’ rights during unstable and emergency conditions, including the current war”.
“We also promote dialogue and unity across all sectors of society, including coexistence between Jews and Arabs through the Histadrut’s Jewish-Arab Institute,” she said.
Discussing the Histadrut’s work to address anti-Israel and antisemitic declarations and resolutions within parts of the international trade union movement, Shapira-Shabirow said, “These challenges have encouraged us to build broad coalitions with trade unions worldwide, and participation of Australian unions in this coalition is highly welcomed and invaluable!”
The visit was facilitated by the Executive Council of Australian Jewry, Labor Friends of Israel Australia, LIAC and the Australia Israel Labor Dialogue.