Trade unionism took on a truly global dimension as colleagues from Iraq spent a week at NASUWT learning more about effective organisation and campaigning.
Being a trade unionist in Iraq takes immense courage and dedication. As well as having to deal with the everyday threats posed by the political uncertainty which still hangs over the country, anti-trade union laws brought in during Saddam Hussein’s reign have not been repealed, making it very difficult to organise and recruit members. Trade unionists are routinely killed and imprisoned for their activities.
Despite these problems, a group of leading trade unions travelled to NASUWT’s headquarters in Birmingham to spend 10 days gaining knowledge and information which they can use to advance the trade union movement in Iraq.
The members of the Iraqi Teachers Union observed an NASUWT National Executive meeting, took part in training events and met with British trade unionists during their stay. They were able to sample some culture, enjoying trips to a football match and the ballet and also had the opportunity to learn more about local government and the growth of the trade union movement in the UK.
“It is fundamentally important for fledgling unions in a fledgling democracy to see how democratic unions function, organise and interact with society, “ explained Abdullah Muhsin, the International Representative of the General Federation of Iraqi Workers who accompanied the teachers on their visit. He added: “It is not important whether we are men or women, Jewish or Muslim, Sunni or Shia, we just see ourselves as teachers and Iraqis who are committed to improving the welfare of our colleagues and improving the education system to produce a healthy society. We are committed to democracy because without it we cannot function.”
All of the delegation has stories to tell of the realities of trying to live and teach under a repressive regime. Headteacher Nasser Khdhim Nasser recounted the recent day when a group of masked men burst into his school, ordered all of the children out of the building and attempted to use the school as a space to set off mortar bombs. Suad Saleem Abdulla has to brave snipers just to collect basic classroom resources from a nearby Unicef building. Many others lost their jobs and homes as a result of their opposition to Saddam.
The added danger of being a trade unionist means that leaders have to take different routes to work, park their cars in different locations and even access their offices through different entranceways in order to keep a low profile.
One of the delegation, Ali Ahmed Sindal, was sentenced to death under Saddam’s regime for being a trade unionist and was only freed after serving four years in prison on death row. He was forced into exile on his release, but courageously returned to Iraq after the fall of the dictator to help rebuild the Iraqi Teachers Union.
In the post Saddam era, the education system in Iraq is slowly becoming less prescriptive, with students now able to learn about human rights issues and study a greater variety of subjects. However, teachers pay is still very low and many schools have shortages of teachers in certain subjects as it is too dangerous for teachers to travel far from home to work.
Despite all of these difficulties and dangers, the delegates’ commitment and enthusiasm for continuing to build a strong trade union movement remains undimmed and was evident in their keen interest in all aspects of NASUWT’s work.
The Union invited the group to visit the UK through its work supporting the establishment of independent trade unionism in Iraq. Sue Rogers, NASUWT’s Honorary Treasurer, is chair of the TUC Iraq Solidarity Committee and visited the country last year as part of a delegation of UK trade unionists to offer support and solidarity to colleagues.
During the visit, Ms Rogers led three days of training and advice for the group during which they met NASUWT staff and activists who explained more about the work the Union does and its organising and recruiting strategies.
Chris Keates, General Secretary of NASUWT, led a day of training focusing on national negotiations and Social Partnership. She explained how NASUWT has joined together with the Government, employers and other trade unions to form a committee which negotiates on all aspects of education reform including pay and conditions issues, curriculum revision and policy initiatives.
Ms Keates went on to detail the victories the Union has won for members as a result of working in partnership such as the National Agreement, changes to the Teachers Pension Scheme and revised performance management arrangements. The delegates were heartened to learn that trade unions like NASUWT can have such an influence with Government, saying this gives them great hope that in time, they too will be able to work in tandem with the Iraqi Government to bring about improvements to pay and conditions for teachers in their country.
The aim of the training was to provide the group with practical knowledge and strategies which they can use to build and strengthen trade unionism in Iraq, as well as empowering and giving the delegates confidence that trade unions can make a real difference to the lives of workers.
Mr Muhsin explained how valuable this support was to his colleagues as they He said: “Having the support of NASUWT is fundamental, we are delighted to have this comradeship and it is very important to our growth. The work the Union has done in highlighting the extreme difficulties we face and bringing it to the attention of the politicians is helping to save lives.
“Last year I was invited to the NASUWT Annual Conference and saw trade unionists coming together from around the UK and the world. They all shared the commitment to an education system which benefits teachers and young people. We hope in time to establish a similar system and also hope that we will be able to invite our colleagues in the UK to come to visit us in the future.”
He added that the whole trip to the UK has helped to give his colleagues confidence and hope for the future, saying: “We visited the Black Country Living Museum and Cadbury World, both of which were eye openers for us. We saw at both places how through trade unions and solidarity the workers had managed to improve their living and working conditions and also the commitment the Cadbury family had to their employees by providing them with housing and services.
“This showed us that by coming together workers can create great strength and also that management and workers do not have to be antagonistic, they can work together to build a better society.”
A visit to Birmingham City Council also allowed the delegates the opportunity to learn more about the role of local and central Government in the UK.
Hosted by Cllr Les Lawrence, Cabinet Member for Children, Young People and Families, the group were given a tour of the council buildings, sat in on a council meeting and learnt more about the work of Cllr Lawrence and the Council’s political role and functions.
There was surprise at the scale of the budget handled by Cllr Lawrence, as the £1.2 billion allocated for children’s services in Birmingham dwarfs the amount of money the Government in Iraq has to spend on the whole country.
The Lord Mayor of Birmingham, Mike Sharpe, also greeted the party, presenting them with commemorative pens and pin badges to mark their visit to Birmingham.
Following their trip to Birmingham, the delegation then spent several days in London, during which NASUWT officials again met up with the party. The Union helped to organise a meeting between the Iraqi colleagues and Secretary of State Alan Johnson, where the problems facing trade unionists in Iraq were discussed. As a result of the meeting, Mr Johnson raised the issue of the country’s prohibitive anti trade union laws in the House of Commons and has promised to push for their repeal.
The whole visit left the delegates feeling hopeful that a system of democratically elected and accountable government is possible in Iraq, “We are honoured to be able to have the opportunity to see democracy in action.” Mahdi Ali Lefta, leader of the delegation, said: “We will see if we can take what we have learnt and seen to use in our country. We know that the people want democracy and freedom and hopefully we will be able to establish similar systems of Government to move us forward towards a better future.”
Posted at August 24, 2007 04:12 PM