A statement issued by the General Federation of Iraqi workers (GFIW) on the occasion of May Day the World Labour Day
Glory to the Iraqi working class in its glorious day.
To the working people of Iraq
Workers in Iraq and the world over are celebrating the first of May, with a full resolve and determination to continue the struggle for a better tomorrow of human rights, democracy and social justice and for a world free from exploitation and discrimination between people of different ethnic and religious affiliations, sectarian and political constitutes.
May Day is an opportunity for Iraqi working people to sharpen their resolve as they continue struggle for a better Iraq of Human rights, social justices and federal democracy, free from terrorism and sectarianism.
May Day symbolizes the struggle against all forms of exploitation, oppression, class oppression at the same time an opportunity to escalate the struggle for the achievement of the just and legitimate demands of our workers of decent jobs, decent wages and working conditions, a labour code that adhere to the ILO fundamentals.
The Iraqi trade union movement since its creation at the beginning of the last century linked the national and class struggle and assumed the lead in the struggle of the masses of our people against colonialism and reactionary successive governments. But the most difficult period, the most daunting was that of the former dictatorship of Saddam Hussein. Iraq workers suffered terribly as tens thousands of them were sent deliberately to Saddam’s internal and external wars.
The regime issued No 150 Law of 1987 that transformed workers in the state's institutions and the public sector to employees under the unjust law No 150 of 1987. The reason was quite simple to marginalize the political and social role of the trade union movement and thus converting it into a pliable tool, acting at wishes of Saddam’s regime.
Our country is witnessing, today, four years after the fall of Saddam’s regime, extremely complicated political process, full with contradictions and conflict raging around which direction our country should head to, democracy or theocracy or the return of the dictatorship.
On this historic occasion, we wanted the forces of our people and all segments of our Iraqi society, to be aware of the importance and the need to cooperate and coordinate their efforts to get the country back from the brink of disaster, and push the political process forward, and open the prospects for a new Iraq that safeguard the lives of its citizens and uphold their rights and dignity, and to lay the foundations of a new state of democracy and human rights in which so many people have paid heavy sacrifices in order to create.
On the other hand, our organization the GFIW is subjected to orchestrated campaign of killing and kidnappings by terrorist and militias and especially those workers in sectors such as construction, transportation, health, trade, oil, electricity and mechanics. Hundreds of our members were murdered in addition to large numbers of wounded.
The post Saddam democratically elected government still violate the rights of Iraqi workers and their trade union activities by upholding Saddam’s anti union law No 150 of 1987 and the new order 8750 issued in 2005 by the Council of Ministers under the former PM al Jafaari.
The GFIW is struggling to uphold the rule of the law, promote freedoms and respect for citizen's rights. The GFIW stand firmly against privatization of the public sector and the oil sector, hence we reiterate our position that the issue of oil must remain publicly owned -keep control of the oil wealth at the hands of the Iraqi people, as stipulated in new constitution-.
The GFIW resist any attempt to transfer control of the huge oil resources to multinational corporations. In particular, we stand against the so-called (Sharing Production CONTRACTS), which allows companies to control our national wealth for a period of up to 30 years while retaining a substantial share of the profits and essential.
The GFIW stand firmly against the privatization of education, health services and attempt to cancel the ration card on flimsy pretexts by the international financial institutions, particularly the International Monetary Fund and World Bank.
The GFIW demand the application of the new retirement law without amendments, abolish all anti union laws, and to tack the problem of unemployment as a cause of national urgency.
We proudly salute all Arab and international trade union federations for their solidarity with the GFIW.
On this May Day we declare our full solidarity with the workers and people of Palestine in their just struggle to achieve their legitimate demands to establish an independent sovereign state along side the state of Israel. The GFIW condemn the continued Israeli aggression on the Palestinian people and the occupation of the Arab lands in Syria, Lebanon and we call for the return of the Arab lands on the basis of international legitimacy.
Long live the First of May symbol of solidarity for social justices, democracy and human rights.
Long live the Iraqi trade union movement.
Glory to the martyrs of the Iraqi trade union movement.
Executive Committee
GFIW
1 May 2007