"People's Path" 3-12-2008
Protest and march by the Iraqi Union of Agricultural Engineers in central Baghdad
About 250 members of the Union of Agricultural Engineers joined a sit-in yesterday at Firdos Square in central Baghdad and later on marched to the Ministry of Agriculture.
The protest was led by the President and members of the union‘s board. Representatives of unions of teachers, veterinarians and health professionals joined the protest in solidarity with their brothers and sisters of the Agricultural Engineers Union.
The president of the Union announced at the protest that if its demands are not met by the Ministry of Agriculture, the union will call for a general strike in all the ministry’s departments across Iraq.
The protestors then marched towards the Ministry of Agriculture to raise their grievances directly.
At the ministry, the head of the Union, Saadallah al-Lami, met with the Agricultural Minister’s advisor to express the union’s demand to see an end to the marginalization of agricultural engineers over the past years.
The Union has demanded the restoration of professional allowances that were stopped after 9 April 2003.
The protest and march were widely covered by Iraqi media.