Iraqi trade unions

Iraqi trade unionist in London: Against the occupation and with the workers

Hassan Juma’a, President of the General Union of Oil Employees in Basra, spoke in London on 8 February and answered questions. The meeting was organised by Iraq Occupation Focus, and the interpreter was Sami Ramadani. The Americans’ greed in occupying Iraq is very well known and very clear to all. In 1975 Henry Kissinger outlined US policy in the Middle East in a book. He stressed that the USA should control Middle East oil, and that, we believe, is the main reason why Iraq was invaded and occupied. The former ruler of Iraq, Saddam Hussein, was working as though he was an official of the State...

Iraqi oil union leader speaks in London

Hassan Juma’a, President of the General Union of Oil Employees in Basra, spoke in London on 8 February and answered questions. The meeting was organised by Iraq Occupation Focus, and the translation was by Sami Ramadani. This is a transcript of what he said. Greetings, my dear friends. I am very happy to meet this segment of British society, who stand with us in the ordeal we are living through in Iraq. The Americans' greed in occupying Iraq is very well known and very clear to all. In 1975 a book was published by an American politician, Henry Kissinger, in which he outlined US policy in the...

Iraqi trade unionist kidnapped

The Iraqi Federation of Trade Unions (IFTU) issued this statement on Thursday 28 January about the kidnapping of IFTU official Talib Khadim. At 9:30am on Thursday 27 January 2005 a group of six gunmen using two cars broke into the main building of the Carton Board Manufacturing Company in Al Zafarania District of Baghdad and kidnapped Mr. Talib Khadim Al Tayee, President of the Iraqi Mechanics', Metalworkers' & Printworkers' Union (IMM&PU), after attacking him violently in front of workers. Mr Talib Khadim was on union business with workers of the company when the gunmen attacked him, hitting...

An appeal by the Federation of Workers' Councils and Unions in Iraq (FWCUI)

Since November we have witnessed a marked increase in activities and the formation of a number of branches of FWCUI in many workplaces and factories. Such developments have attracted the attention of the authorities in the cities of Baghdad, Basra and Saharaban. Labour activists have been threatened by the authorities and prevented from joining FWCUI. Now a new wave of heroic strikes have swept industries like textiles in the city of Kut, in which the workers were suppressed and shot at by the authorities, also the strikes of the Electricity Power Station in Nassiriya, the chemical, and...

Debate and Discussion: STWC and murders of trade unionists

The run-up to Iraq’s elections on 30 January has seen an escalation of bombings and shootings by Sunni ultra-Islamist militias, groups whose leaders condemn polling stations as “centres of atheism” and the whole idea of elections as “pagan”. Although these militias draw support from Iraqis embittered by the brutality of the US/UK invasion and occupation, many of their attacks are against Iraqi political groups taking part in the elections, such as the Shia-Islamist SCIRI; against Shia as Shia; or against trade unionists and socialists. The militias’ campaign is reactionary. One of those...

An appeal to the left: Unite to build solidarity with Iraq's new labour movement (2005)

The past couple of months have seen a rise both of strikes and workers’ organisation in Iraq, and of attacks by the ultra-Islamist or neo-Ba’thist militias on trade unionists. Yet the British labour movement and the left is still dawdling and fumbling on the issue of solidarity with the new Iraqi labour movement. There have been lots of scattered initiatives, meetings, and activities. There is no concerted campaign. There is no political coherence. The biggest initiative is the TUC Iraq Appeal, launched following a motion by the lecturers’ union NATFHE to the TUC Congress in September 2004...

IFTU murder, tsunami disaster, and branch business

Notes from North London AWL branch meeting, 18 January Political report: Murder of IFTU's Hadi Salih Dan introduced. The security situation in Iraq has been deteriorating - the death toll is getting worse, and includes trade unionists eg. railworkers who are members of the IFTU. Now, Hadi Salih - IFTU's International Secretary - has been murdered, apparently by Saddam supporters. Why? Because of his links with the CP and by association the occupying authorities? Or simply because the Saddamites are anti-trade-union? Whichever, it is a terrible thing which we utterly condemn. At the same time...

US campaign denounces attacks on Iraqi trade unionists

OPPONENTS OF THE OCCUPATION CONDEMN ATTACKS ON IRAQI TRADE UNIONISTS We, who opposed the U.S.-led war on Iraq and who call for an immediate end to the occupation of that country, are appalled by the torture and assassination in Baghdad on January 4, 2005 of Hadi Salih, International Officer of the Iraqi Federation of Trade Unions (IFTU). There are also disturbing reports of intimidation, death threats and murders targeting other IFTU members, trade unionists in general, and political activists. We utterly condemn the assassination of Hadi Salih. We call upon all sides in the conflict in Iraq...

Anything but uncontroversial

The January meeting of Cambridge Trades Union Council (CTUC) passed the following motion: “Cambridge Trades Council condemns the murder of Iraqi trade unionist Hadi Salih [pictured], the murderers of Hadi Salih, and the apologists for the murder and murderers of Hadi Salih.” “Cambridge Trades Council resolves to produce and circulate a further leaflet calling for support for Iraqi trade unionists which covers: the attacks on, and murders of, Iraqi trade unionists and workers; recent developments in the Iraqi trade union movement; support for Iraqi trade unions from UK unions.” When the motion...

Asking Stop The War which side it's on

The run-up to Iraq's elections on 30 January has seen an escalation of bombings and shootings by Sunni ultra-Islamist militias, groups whose leaders condemn polling stations as "centres of atheism" and the whole idea of elections as "pagan". Although these militias draw support from Iraqis embittered by the brutality and cynicism of the US/UK invasion and occupation, many of their attacks are against Iraqi political groups taking part in the elections, such as the Shia-Islamist SCIRI; against Shia as Shia; or against trade unionists and socialists. The militias' campaign is reactionary. One of...

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