Don’t Make Indian Construction Workers Partners in Genocide of Palestinians: CWFI

New Delhi: The Haryana government’s advertisement, asking youth to apply for jobs of construction workers and bouncers to countries like Israel, has invited the wrath of the Construction Workers Federation of India (CWFI), which has called upon all its members and all the construction workers of India to protest on December 22-23 against the move.

In a press statement issued by U P Joseph, general secretary, CWFI, said they strongly condemn the Haryana state government’s move to send ten thousand skilled workers, out of which a large section will be the construction workers, to Israel. 

“The BJP led Haryana Government’s ‘Haryana Kaushal Rojgar Nigam’ (HKRN) put out an advertisement on 15th December, 2023 for recruiting 10,000 skilled workers for Israel, where there is a shortage of manpower in the construction sector since the start of the genocidal war on Palestine launched by Israel.” 

The CWFI pointed out that earlier reports had said that the Israeli authorities had ordered Palestinian workers working in different sectors in Israel with work permits to leave, as part of their attacks on Palestinians. 

“While the Israeli Builders Association has asked for 50,000 -10,000 Indian construction workers to replace Palestinian workers, it was reported that Israel and India are negotiating about sending 15,000 workers,” it said. 

The CWFI said it was a “sinister plot” by the Haryana Kaushal Rojgar Nigam (HKRN), which outlined specific criteria for individuals interested in the recruitment drive for young workers, “to exploit our country’s poor construction workers” by offering lucrative salary at the expense of death, starvation and income losses of fellow Palestinian workers.” 

In addition, HKRN has also advertised for recruitment of a large number of bouncers to guard night clubs in Israel. “This is a serious concern, as these Indian bouncers may be used in ongoing war,’ the CWFI warned. 

The federation also highlighted news reports that the BJP-led Uttarakhand government was also considering sending construction workers to Israel. 

The CWFI statement reiterated the Indian government’s support for the UN resolution calling for immediate ceasefire, declaration of a Palestinian state with 1967 borders and East Jerusalem as its capital. It demanded that the government should use its diplomatic relations with Israel to abide by the UN resolution instead of negotiating for sending construction workers to that country.