The International Alliance of App-Based Transport Workers (IAATW) recently pledged to boycott Chevron-branded gas stations, in a show of solidarity with Palestine in the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas since October 7.
This move is in alignment with the Palestinian BDS National Committee (BNC) campaign and the call for solidarity by more than 30 Palestinian trade unions.
In a statement, on Thursday, March 14, IAATW, representing over 100,000 drivers from 20 countries including India, said that the app-based passenger transport sector, including companies like Uber, Deliveroo, and Amazon, is boycotting Chevron, Texaco, and Caltex gas stations worldwide, inspired by the 1987 oil embargo against Shell.
This decision comes as IAATW delegates unanimously passed motions showing their unequivocal support for Palestine at their bi-annual international conference in Sri Lanka.
This motion reiterated IAATW’s statement from October 2023 and committed to concrete action by adopting the BDS call against oil companies complicit in Israel’s occupation.
IAATW said, “We believe that refusing to support entities complicit in perpetuating injustices against Palestinians is a critical step towards justice and accountability.”
“Chevron has generated billions of dollars in revenue for apartheid Israel as the leading “international actor extracting gas claimed by Israel in the Eastern Mediterranean,” helping to fund the ongoing genocide against 2.3 million Palestinians in Gaza. Chevron is directly involved in Israel’s policy and practice of depriving the Palestinian people of their right to sovereignty over their natural resources.”
IAATW also pledged to investigate and take action against app companies utilising Israeli technology complicit in the genocide perpetrated against Palestinians.
Shaik Salauddin, elected board member of IAATW, calls for Palestinian people’s national liberation, calls for immediate ceasefire, end to Israeli apartheid, and urges other labor unions to do the same.
On Friday, March 15, the BDS movement welcomed the IAAWT motion, citing Chevron as the primary international actor extracting fossil gas claimed by Israel in the Eastern Mediterranean since 2020.
Since October 7, 2023, the Israeli army waging a devastating war on the Gaza Strip, resulting in over 31,000 martyrs, primarily children and women.
