DELEGATES AT CONNECT Trade Union’s conference have today called for the legal right for workers to refuse to assist genocidal regimes. 

Connect held its biennial conference in Athlone today. The trade union represents workers from engineering, electrical, and technical sectors, including apprentices. 

Connect activist, Frank Keoghan, who proposed an emergency motion on the issue, said: “This Union will support, through the [Irish Congress of Trade Unions], the moves by political parties in the Dáil for the immediate insertion in labour law of a right for workers to refuse to assist in any way regimes which stand accused of war crimes and genocide by the International Court of Justice.”

The motion was supported unanimously by delegates. 

Keoghan said that in Ireland, there is currently the “unacceptable situation” in which Irish workers who refuse to handle, transport or otherwise engage with goods that could “possibly assist regimes” are subject to disciplinary action. 

Connect General Secretar Paddy Kavanagh said the union was not enforcing restrictions upon workers, but seeking respect for workers who do not want to be “in any way associated with assisting regimes that may be carrying out a genocide.”

“We understand that the Labour Party will shortly present a Bill to the Dáil which seeks to amend existing labour law to allow workers to ‘conscientiously object’ to co-operating with the transport or production of goods which could assist a regime accused at the International Court of Justice of genocide,” he said.

He added that the union was calling upon the ICTU, the national trade union centre, and all political parties to support the Bill.

Delegates and guests observed a moment of silence for those killed in conflicts in Palestine, Lebanon, and Israel.

Among those who addressed the conference were Fórsa General Secretary Kevin Callinan, Sinn Féin leader Mary Lou McDonald and the Palestinian Ambassador to Ireland Dr. Jilan Wahba Abdalmajid.