Diwaniyah
Hundreds of Workers in the Rubber plant in Diwaniyah went on strike on, Tuesday, May 2007 demanding the cancellation of the current salary system approved recently by the Ministry of Industry.
Khalil Ibrahim, director of media relations and public employees at the Rubber plant in Diwaniyah said that, “the strike is on permanent basis, all sections of the plant will stop working until the current pay system adopted by the American civil Administrator Mr Paul Bremer, is abolished.
Railway workers in Samawah, Kirkuk and Basra went on strike action over pay
Tuesday, 15 May 2007
Railway workers in Samawah, Kirkuk and Basra went on strike Tuesday demanding that the new salary scheme adopted by the Iraqi government should include railway workers as well.
Thousands of workers stopped working and demanded that the government should review their pay and to immediately pay their delayed bonuses.
The strikers threatened to continue with their industrial action if their just demands are not met.
Salah Eddin
Nine workers in the largest oil refineries in Iraq were kindnapped on Monday 14 May 2007.
Gunmen, aboard two cars, forced small bus to stop and kidnapped four engineers and five technicians working in Bijy Refinery in Salah Eddin Governorate north of Baghdad. The refinery suffered constant attacks and workers took strike actions earlier in the year.
Moaaid Hamid, murdered Iraqi trade unionist
Basra -
Hundreds of railways Workers in Basra went on strike today, Tuesday 15 May 2007 demanding that the new salary scheme past by the Iraqi government two months ago for all state employees should include rail workers as well. The union also called for the local authorities to grant railways workers annual bonuses like other state employees.
The President of the Railways workers Union in Basra said that "the objective of the strike that is supported by more than 800 Railway workers in Basra is to seek fair wage for railway workers.”
He added: "We also demand that the annual wage increase should be restored after it was stopped in 2003 when Saddam’s regime collapsed."
He pointed out that "the strikers received messages of solidarity from the General Federation of Iraqi Workers (GFIW) in Basra and from a number of trade unions such as the electricity and Mechanics and the public services unions. He also indicated that the above mentioned sister unions are ready to strike in solidarity if our demands are not met." He said that the strike will include other provinces and will continue until our demands are met.
Hundreds of night security guards protested on, Sunday 13 May 2007, in the city center of Samawah, the capital of Al Muthanna province against:
*the reduction of their salaries,
*dismissing some of their colleagues,
*and to settle their unpaid salaries.
Demonstrators marched through the main streets of the town centre and ended the march by picketing the main governorate building, calling on the local authorities, for a fair review of their wages, which have recently been reduced unjustly from 300 thousand dinars to one hundred thousand dinars, and to promptly pay their overdue wages. It is worth to note that night security guards have not been paid for the last three months.
The GFIW organized a May Day Celebration on Tusday 1 May 2007.
Thousands of workers embraced Ferdos Square in the center of the capital Baghdad, at the invitation of the General Federation of Iraqi workers on the occasion of the World Labor Day
The ICEM has expressed shock and anger at the mid-April killing of General Federation of Iraq Workers (GFIW) Vice-President Moaaid Hamid and his wife. The two were killed in the province of Nineveh during a clash between forces of the Iraqi army and terrorist elements inside the province.
Hamid was a contributor to the founding of the Iraqi Federation of Trade Unions in 2003, before that trade union centre evolved into the GFIW. He had been a victim of Saddam’s regime against free and independent trade unions, and after the invasion, had been abducted and tortured by terrorists before he was freed by Iraqi security forces. For more information please click here:
www.icem.org
Workers at the University of Basra protest, demanding better wages and better working conditions.
On Tuesday 8 May 2007, dozens of university workers protested to the presidency of Basra University and to remind them to implement the pledged the University made earlier.
Idris Alaakili Vice President of the Association of the University of Basra (part of the Iraqi teachers union) who led the protest said that "our strategy is to broaden the acceptance rate in post graduate studies for university staff and in order to provide staff with opportunities of higher diploma studies in humanities." He added: "We also protested over the temporary staffs’ contract and called for all temporary staffs to be employed on a permanent contract.
Idris Alaakili added that "this protest was not the first to strike, but and he warned the university authority to honour their pledged within 10 days otherwise the union will conduct general strike
The GFIW organized a May Day Celebration on Tusday 1 May 2007
Thousands of workers embraced Ferdos Square in the center of the capital Baghdad, at the invitation of the General Federation of Iraqi workers on the occasion of the World Labor Day.
GFIW -Maysan
On the occuasion of May Day, hundreds of workers in Maysan provicne staged a a demonstration started from the front of the GFIW head offcie through the main streets in which workers called for a decent life for workers.
The Deputy President of the GFIW in Maysan Saad Jasim said " we came today to celabrate May Day. He added that "the demonstrators issued a statement in which they demanded the improvement of their living conditions and the appointment of temporary workers in government departments and institutions on Permanent basis .
Meanwhile, member of the Maysan Governorate Abdul Mahdi Moussa Omran said that "the circumstances of the working people have not improved, despite four years since the fall of Saddam's regime.
Latest news
May Day march in Iraq
(01/05/07)
Despite growing violence against civil society in Iraq, trade unionists staged a May Day march in Basra. Hashimia Muhsin Hussein (left in photo), President of the Basra Electricity and Energy Union, led the march which included other women trade unionists calling for women’s voices to be heard in the trade union movement. International May Day parades were held all over the world as workers took to the streets to mark the date. In London, Alison Shepherd (UNISON NEC and TUC President) spoke to a rally in Trafalgar Square. Unfortunately, in Turkey 600 people were arrested as police moved in to stop the May Day rally in Istanbul taking place. For more information, please click here:
www.unison.org.uk
The GFIW in Basra organize March to celebrate May Day, One of the Marchers Banner Reads: Strong Unions Need Women
The Iraqi President Jalal Talabani congratulates workers in Iraq and the world on the Occasion of May Day
On April 30 2007 the Iraqi President, sent a congratulatory telegram to the workers of Iraq and the world on the occasion of May Day.
The Iraqi president emphasized, that the workers of Iraq fought the dictatorship of Saddam and were instrumental in this regard, as they made a lot of sacrifices for the cause of freedom and liberation from injustice policies of the defunct regime of Saddam.
The President expects that Iraqi workers will play an effective role in building a new Iraq, and he wishes them success in stabilizing Iraq, in achieving their legitimate rights in a democratic, federal Iraq.