The members of the Irish Federation of University Teachers (IFUT) approved by ballot the rule change previously approved by the union’s delegates at the May 2024 annual conference, adding social justice, “the promotion of equity, justice and equality in both the workplace and broader society” into the objects of the Union.
Proposed by the Maynooth University branch members and seconded by the national executive committee, this rule change gives IFUT greater flexibility in operationalising its policy on a wide range of issues affecting academics, academia, and society at large, both nationally and internationally. The Trinity branch of Academics for Palestine (AFP) welcomes the news of the rule change.
AFP member Dr David Landy summarised the recent developments. “The delegates at this year’s national conference strongly defined IFUT’s policy on Palestine with motions on BDS and cutting ties with Israeli institutions. Rank and file members of Trinity’s IFUT through the recent emergency general meeting adopted a framework for implementation of these motions in the Trinity context. The rule change further solidifies IFUT’s mandate to maintain a coherent and strong position on Palestine, and bring an end to complicity of our higher education institutions in genocide, settler colonialism, and oppression.”
Dr Caroline Jagoe from AFP added that IFUT has a proud history of international solidarity and firm boycott policies. “In 1979, IFUT national conference passed a resolution opposing apartheid in South Africa, in 1982 IFUT disaffiliated from an international federation it was a part of over South African membership. In 1986, IFUT’s strong boycott resolution asked its members to take no part in research projects, academic conferences, external examining with South African participants. Operationalising this resolution, the union went as far as to request the Minister for Foreign Affairs to prevent South African participants joining a major conference in Dublin. All of these actions were coordinated with the Irish Anti-Apartheid Movement IFUT officially affiliated to in 1985. IFUT’s members have put their efforts in the fight for social justice long before this rule change.”
The rule change was announced in the same week Trinity’s Board approved the terms of reference for the taskforce which will investigate the College’s academic ties to Israel, as agreed as an outcome of the Trinity Encampment.
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