During the union’s biannual conference in late February, the boycott of Chevron was unanimously supported by union affiliates in Australia, Argentina, Bangladesh, Cambodia, Canada, Chile, Costa Rica, France, Ghana, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Mexico, Nigeria, Panama, South Africa, Sri Lanka, the United Kingdom, the United States, and Uruguay. These union affiliates and their members work for app-based transport and delivery services such as Uber, Glovo, Deliveroo, and Amazon, among others.
The union’s official statement says that workers will boycott all Chevron and Chevron-owned gas stations and instead use alternatives for fulfilling orders. Globally, Chevron owns approximately 20,000 gas stations.
In addition to the boycott itself, IAATW stated it would hold an international education day with Workers in Palestine, a coalition of 30 Palestinian trade unions and professional associations. On October 16th, 2023, Workers in Palestine called on unions around the world to organize against the ongoing genocide of Palestinians. The boycott statement also notes that IAATW will investigate and organize against app companies “using technology complicit in the Palestinian genocide.”
Chevron has been a key target of the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) movement in the United States. Not only does Chevron supply the Israeli occupation with energy, but it participates in the plunder of Palestinian natural resources.
With its acquisition of Noble Energy in 2020, Chevron has been the main company extracting gas in the Eastern Mediterranean Sea. Widely referred to as “within Israel’s maritime boundaries”, these gas reserves were stolen from the Palestinian people just like the land that they were ethnically cleansed from.
Israel even ignores international maritime laws according to the partition of Palestine. At the end of October 2023 and the beginning of the current genocide in Gaza, Israel awarded six new gas exploration licenses for areas part of Palestinian maritime areas, including off the coast of Gaza.
The IAATW’s boycott of Chevron is an inspiring act of solidarity. In a time where unions are releasing watered-down statements calling for a meager ceasefire, the IAATW is taking action. In no uncertain terms, the IAATW is joining the millions of people across the world in supporting the Palestinian struggle.
A.M.
