On Thursday, May 2nd, the Society of Authors (SoA), the UK’s largest union for writers, voted during an Extraordinary General Meeting (EGM) to reject a significant policy change advocating for Palestinian rights, while supporting fossil fuel divestment within the books industry. Around 500 industry professionals joined the meeting to vote in the landmark event that also tackled the association’s stance on AI.

Read: Society of Authors to vote on fossil fuels and Gaza resolutions in Extraordinary Meeting

The resolution in the EGM, which garnered substantial support from authors, called for the SoA to demand a permanent ceasefire in Gaza, condemn the targeting of journalists and writers, and denounce the destruction of cultural infrastructure in the region.

Additionally, the resolution supports publishing workers who face censorship due to their advocacy for Palestinian rights.”We are disappointed that our trade union still refuses to: condemn the genocide in Gaza, support a permanent ceasefire in Gaza, or express solidarity with Palestinian writers and publishing workers here in the UK who face job loss and censorship for speaking out,” a representative from key organiser Fossil Free Books said in a statement seen by How To Be Books.

Simultaneously, the second resolution called for the book industry’s financial institutions, particularly highlighting Baillie Gifford’s significant investments, to divest from the fossil fuel sector. This policy change responds directly to the persistent appeals from authors and aligns with the actions taken by other global entities pressing for environmental sustainability.

Read: Edinburgh Book Festival urged by 50 authors to drop sponsors

Despite the SoA Management Committee’s initial support for the fossil fuel divestment, they reportedly advised members to reject the pro-Palestinian resolution, citing a recent policy update that limits the organisation’s engagement with “general political issues.” At the time, they stated: “We do not comment on areas outside our remit in order to protect the right to freedom of expression of individual members.” This stance faced criticism, especially in light of the SoA’s swift solidarity with Ukrainian writers following Russia’s invasion, revealing perceived inconsistencies in their political engagement policies.

Leading up to the vote, the resolutions were endorsed by an array of notable authors and organisations, including Julia Sanches, Jen Calleja, and Omar Robert Hamilton, as well as groups like Greenpeace UK, Friends of the Earth Scotland, and Art Workers for Palestine Scotland. The collective endorsement by these influential voices underscored a growing consensus within the industry about the importance of these issues.

The decision by the SoA members represents a significant policy shift as well as reflects the broader solidarity and divestment campaigns gaining momentum worldwide. From university campuses to professional organisations, these movements aim to exert economic and moral pressure on entities complicit in human rights abuses and environmental degradation.

Read: Survey shows generative AI threatens a third of translators

The third EGM vote was to assert that SoA members’ works would not be used to develop AI systems, after the union released a survey that showed a third of translators and quarter of illustrators losing work to generative AI. As expected, members unanimously voted in favour of the motion.

Thanks to the support of Fossil Free Books, I was among many new writers who joined SoA last week to vote on the policies. FFB offered to financially back authors who struggled to pay the membership fee. They said: “You belong in your trade union.”

Criticism over Gaza ceasefire decision

Following the vote, several authors slammed the decision to reject calling on a ceasefire, stating that it was a “double standard”. “Our Mad and Furious City” author Guy Gunaratne said: “​These results show a clear double standard on Palestine from the Society of Authors’ Management Committee. They supported the resolution on fossil fuel divestment, yet throughout this process they have resisted our call for condemning the killing of our colleagues.” However, he acknowledged that the resolution had been rejected by a “very small margin”.

While the 2018 Women’s Prize winner Kamila Shamsie said the verdict was “astonishing”. She added: “If the management committee didn’t want to condemn the targeted killing of writers and the decimation of the cultural sector in Gaza, it should have plainly said so rather than hiding behind a newly created rule that attempts to make the issue one of procedure rather than morality.”

Fossil Free Books summed up the sentiment: “We believe that this vote has highlighted the importance of an active and strong trade union for writers, translators and illustrators. When trade unions work, they protect jobs, workers from censorship and play integral roles in international solidarity campaigns on issues that affect us all, from Palestine to fossil fuels and beyond.”

Updated with subsequent comments from authors.