Birmingham City Hall, 27th January, 2004: Over 100 trade unionists and anti-war campaigners braved a cold Tuesday evening to attend a packed meeting jointly organised by Birmingham Trades Union Council and Birmingham Stop The War Coalition. A range of speakers addressed the continuing US/UK illegal occupation of Iraq and discussed proposals for organising solidarity with Iraqi trade unionists.
IFTU representative Abdullah Muhsin with Birmingham TUC President
For Birmingham Stop the War Coalition Salma Yaqoob said: "the line of resistance to neo-liberalism and imperialism today is in Iraq."
Alex Gordon from the National Union of Rail, Maritime & Transport Workers (RMT) reported on the recent British trade union delegation (in October 2003) to Baghdad to visit the Iraqi Federation of Trade Unions (IFTU) and on the impressive growth of independent, democratic trade unions. Alex called for British trade unionists to make defence of international labour standards in Iraq a central demand on the UK government and called for practical solidarity with Iraqi trade unionists including direct links between British and Iraqi trade unions and trades councils.
Abdullah Muhsin, the IFTU?s London representative spoke movingly about the immense difficulties faced by Iraqi workers in organising trade unions.
Condemning the unprovoked attack by US troops on IFTU offices in Baghdad on 6th December 2003 and the arrest of eight IFTU leaders, who were subsequently released without charge or explanation, Abdullah said: "Friends, we must ask for your support to defend our new trade union movement against repression and intolerance, whether it comes from elements loyal to the former regime or from the military powers illegally occupying our country."
He described trade unionism as "a crucial component in re-building civil society in Iraq" and echoed the appeal for British trade unions and trades councils to form direct links with Iraqi trade unions.
On 6 December 2003 American occupation forces raided the headquarters of the Iraqi Federation of Workers Trade Unions (IFTU).
US soldiers ransacked the building, destroyed IFTU documents, smashed windows, smeared the banner carrying the name of the IFTU outside the building with black paint and tore down union banners condemning terrorism. The raid ended with the arrest of eight IFTU leaders who were handcuffed and taken to the US military central command at Muthan airbase.
No explanations were given for this unjustified attack. It is a stark violation of human rights, which clearly contradicts the claims of the US administration that it seeks to promote democracy and end repression and violence in Iraq.
To find out what really happened, Tareeq Al Shaab interviewed four of the eight arrested IFTU leaders; Turkey Al Lehabey, Muhsin Mashkoor, Hussein Shfaait and Hussein Al Sudany. The IFTU here translates the interview.
Mr Turkey Al Lehabey, General Secretary of the Communication and Transport Union said:
"The occupation forces acted on false and malicious information supplied by remnants of Saddam?s despotic regime who?s interests are threatened by the growth of independent trade unionism.
"Numbers of officials, starting with Abdullah Murad Ghny, general manager of the main private transport company and including managers in public transport Stations and Garages, have lost out severely as result of the fall of Saddam. These hostile elements sent the US troops against us.
"US military forces surrounded the IFTU headquarters with dozens of soldiers and armoured vehicles, eventually raiding the building, destroyed documents, smashed windows and arrested eight IFTU leaders who were imprisoned at Al Muthan airbase.
"The soldiers left us inside a tent in the compound of the airport without water or food for hours, until Mr Kelly, the local military commander arrived and told us: ?Iraq has no sovereignty and no political parties or trade unions. We do not want you to organise in either the north or south transport stations.?
"He also said: ?You can organise only after June 2004, for now you have an American governor.? He returned after 4.00 p.m. with blankets and box of ready-made food that we could not eat. He then released four of us and told us that he was able to keep us in detention for six months but did not want to do so.
"We told him that he has no legal right to raid our offices or to arrest us. These actions contradict America?s claims to respect and adhere to the international values of human rights and the US? claims to be building a democratic Iraq. He replied that his father was an American trade unionist."
Mr Muhsin Mashkoor, a member of the Public Service Industry Union, told US commander Kelly:
"You (the US Military authority) are no different to Saddam Hussein. Yes you toppled his dictatorship but you both are two faces of the same coin." Mr Mashkoor also told the local military commander: "There are no foreign or local bodies financing our trade union federation, we finance ourselves."
Mr Hussein Alsudany said that the US local commander accused the IFTU of being ?unhelpful in the re-organisation of the private transport sector.? Mr Alsudany said. "The IFTU has worked hard with little or no resources, working alongside other Iraqi social forces to build democracy. But commander Kelly didn?t listen, he ignored us and left.
At about 5.00 p.m. we requested a meeting, with one of the leaders of the military authority at the base to find out why we had been arrested. Mr Kelly himself returned and released four of us, whilst the other four were kept in detention. Soon after that they brought us blankets which were inadequate since we were kept in a tent and it was cold."
Mr Kelly told the four IFTU leaders who remained in detention:
?The Iraqi Governing Council (IGC) lacks legitimacy as do Iraq?s political parties. Mr Turkey Al Lehabey, you and Saddam are two faces of the same coin.? Mr Kelly left but returned soon afterwards with an order for the release of the four remaining IFTU leaders.
Representatives of the Iraqi Federation of Workers' Trade Unions (IFTU)
held a highly successful briefing in the House of Commons on Wednesday
21st January to update parliamentarians on the current situation in
Iraq.
The meeting was addressed by Hadi Salih, the International Secretary of
the IFTU, during a two-day visit to the UK, which also included a
successful meeting with the TUC International Officer, Owen Tudor.
The meeting was chaired by Harry Barnes MP and attended by Lord Bill
Jordan (a former leader of the British AEEU engineering union), Alice
Mahon MP, Ernie Ross MP and Mark Todd MP, who is a parliamentary aide to
Baroness Symons, the Foreign Office Minister with responsibility for the
Middle East.
In addition, representatives of Ann Clwyd and the Association of
University Teachers were present for the detailed briefing.
Abdullah Muhsin, the IFTU representative in Britain was also present.
Apologies were given by several Labour and Conservative MPs on what was
a busy day in Parliament.
The meeting heard an outline of the history of Iraqi trades unionism,
how it was repressed under Saddam Hussein, its efforts to rebuild itself
as part of a new civil society in Iraq and the role of the yellow unions
set up by Saddam Hussein as well as discussion on the recent US raid on
its temporary headquarters in Baghdad.
All agreed that it was a highly informative meeting and expressed their
enthusiasm to help the Iraqi trade union movement to play a positive
role in the new society in that country
RMT president Tony Donaghey welcomed a delegation to Unity House on 20 January from the Iraqi Federation of Workers Trade Unions (IFTU) led by international secretary Hadi Salih and Abdullah Muhsin, London Based IFTU Representative .
TUC International and European secretary Owen Tudor and representatives from the FBU, NUJ, public services union PCS and TSSA joined the Iraqi delegation for discussions on how to build solidarity and support for trade unionists in the occupied country.
Hadi Salih outlined the problems facing Iraqi trade unionists including lack of funds, the continued implementation of anti-union laws brought in by the Ba’athist dictatorship and attacks from US forces on IFTU offices.
“After years of repression workers do not know their rights and there is a dire need to organise democratic structures.
“We need new progressive laws that recognise and guarantee workers’ rights and trade unions need to be involved in the formulation of any new labour laws,” he said.
He said that the IFTU had established 12 industrially-based unions in 14 provinces but it was difficult to maintain contacts under the present circumstances.
Owen Tudor said that was a need to campaign for collective bargaining rights for Iraqi workers and to assist in the fight to resist plans by occupation forces to privatise the economy.
Tony Donaghey said that the union had committed itself to supporting the struggle to build free, democratic and independent trade unions.
PCS representative Pat Budu presented the IFTU with a cheque for £500 and RMT has already supplied the IFTU with a laptop to assist in their work.
On 6 December 2003, the IFTU issued an statement condemning the attack by
American occupation military forces on its temporary headquarters (at the
headquarters of the Transport and Communication Union, in Karkh, Allawi Al
Hilla, Baghdad), which led to the arrest of 8 IFTU leaders who were later
released unharmed.
On 8 December 2003, the IFTU Executive Bureau sent a delegation to the Iraqi
Governing Council (IGC) and met Dr Mohammod Uthman, IGC member. The
delegation informed him in detail about the attack and handed him a
statement condemning this unjustified act and calling for compensation for
damages inflicted upon our colleagues and IFTU possessions.
The statement also demanded an apology from the local US military commander
who led the attack, and commitments that such act should never happen again
against an important organization of civil society. The statement also
reminded the American authorities not to listen to remnants of Saddam
regime.
Unfortunately, nothing has so far happened. Our head office is still closed.
The IGC did not do enough. Iraqi political parties and Iraqi public
personalities did not show solidarity and support with IFTU in these
difficult times.
However, we would like to thank our friends in the international labour
movement for their support and solidarity with IFTU and their condemnation
of this terrorizing act. Among the labour organisations that sent letters of
support and solidarity we mention the following:
The International Confederation of Free Trade Unions (ICFTU)
The International Labour Organization (ILO)
The Scottish TUC and its General Secretary, Bill Speirs
The Rail Maritime and Transport (RMT) union and its General Secretary, Bob
Crow
Harry Barnes, British Labour MP
The CGIL, Italy
Congress of South African Trade Unions (COSATU)
International Metalworkers Federation (IMF)
Labour Start.
Executive Bureau
IFTU
5 January 2003
Proposed Early Day Motion to be tabled by Harry Barnes MP
That this House notes that no explanation, apology or compensation has so
far been proffered by the US military authorities in Iraq for the
unjustified raid on 6 December 2003 on the temporary headquarters in Baghdad
of the Iraqi Federation of Workers' Trade Unions (IFTU) which led to the
arrest of 8 IFTU leaders who were later released; congratulates a wide range
of organisations around the world such as the International Confederation of
Free Trade Unions, the International Labour Organization, the Scottish TUC,
the RMT union, the Labour Start web site, the Italian CGIL, the
International Metalworkers' Federation and the Congress of South African
Trade Unions for showing solidarity with the fledgling independent Iraqi
trade union movement; regrets that the Iraqi Governing Council and Iraqi
political parties failed to act to defend such an important part of the new
civil society in Iraq; agrees with the IFTU on the need for an apology from
the local US military commander who led the attack, commitments that such
act should never happen again, and compensation for damages inflicted on
IFTU personnel and possessions; and endorses its appeal for the American
authorities not to be further misled by remnants of Saddam regime about the
new trade union movement.