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which still hangs over the country, anti-trade union laws brought in during Saddam Hussein’s reign have not been repealed, making it very difficult to organise and recruit members.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.”
The TUC Iraq Bulletin has just come out and includes reports on:
* An Iraqi teachers union delegation visiting the UK
* A delegation from the Fire Brigades Union (FBU) visiting Iraq
* A report on oil unions and the new oil law
* Further attacks on Iraqi unions
* Visit of Iraqi transport workers to the UK - coming soon
* The TUC's own solidarity work in support of Iraqi unions including fundraising and a striking leaflet available for download
The full newsletter is available here.
The head of the Norwegian Federation of Trade Unions (LO) Roar Flaaten, has warned Norwegian oil company Statoil to postpone its plans to establish an office in Iraq, after the authorities have forbidden oil workers to join unions -- according to this report in The Norway Post.
Showing solidarity with unionists in Iraq, several dozen U.S. unionists marched on August 16 outside the Iraqi Embassy in Washington, protesting the Iraqi Oil Minister's ban on unions for oil workers.
The protesters, including Machinists, the Office and Professional Employees, the Teachers and the Air Line Pilots, demanded Iraq recognize and bargain with its oil workers' unions—who, like the AFL-CIO, oppose the Iraq War. They presented a letter from AFL-CIO President John Sweeney to embassy officials, with the demands, addressed to Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri Al-Maliki.
The oil minister claimed the oil unions are illegal because they are not recognized as a legitimate union of government workers, as required by the Saddam Hussein-era Iraqi labor law. Neither the U.S. Coalition Provisional Authority, when it ran Iraq for a year, nor the present shaky faction-ridden Iraqi government bothered to change that highly restrictive law, which covers 70 percent of Iraqi workers.
The Iraqi government has also denied the oil workers their internationally recognized rights to freedom of association and collective bargaining, protesters said. But the Iraqi government is considering a U.S.-drafted oil law to yield control Iraq oilfields to multi-national corporations. That law was another target of the D.C. protest, organized by both the AFL-CIO Solidarity Center and U.S. Labor Against The War.
"The reality of the obstacles that oil workers face in Iraq is a major issue for us, just as the issue of ending the war is," said AFL-CIO International Affairs Director Barbara Shailor, the protest co-leader. Added Denice Lombard of USLAW: "It's no coincidence the Iraqi oil union has been fighting to keep the oil in Iraqi hands," while the law U.S. congressional "benchmarks" would force on Iraq would put the oil in corporate hands "for many years." A new Iraqi labor law should be our benchmark, she added.
According to this report, the International Federation of Chemical, Energy, Mine and General Workers' Unions (ICEM) "opposes Oil Minister Hussain al-Shahristani's refusal to meet with Iraq's oil workers and instructions to the ministry's departments and companies to cut off all ties. The ICEM says the move is because the unions are vocal opponents to a draft oil law, which they say will open the doors of Iraq's vast oil reserves to foreign and private companies. Saddam Hussein barred oil workers from unionizing and subsequent governments have also weighed in that direction." The ICEM website is located at http://www.icem.org.
The General Federation of Iraqi workers organize public seminars in preparation for the National Conference of the General Federation of Workers Iraq
In preparation for the National Council Conference of the General Federation of Iraqi workers have begun working with Its affiliated unions in Baghdad and across Iraq to achieve a successful end to this important national event. Unions in Baghdad and Iraq’s remaining governorates (except the three that make Iraqi Kurdistan) have also begun their own preparation for this national event; however Unions in Baghdad were the first to complete the preparation task to attend the GFIW National Conference.
The GFIW held a series of seminars for Unions in Baghdad for the period 1 July-1 August / 2007, which included discussions with heads of the unions committees on matters of trade unions issues such as pay and working conditions, labour and social security codes. Meetings were concluded with the elections of unions’ members to the GFIW forth coming National Conference. The Ministry of State for civil Society and the Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs were both informed and were invited to these meetings and the GFIW sought their cooperation and coordination on this important event.
One day seminars for the GFIW affiliated unions in Baghdad were organized 1-31 July 2007.
On July 9 to August 1 meetings were held with the executive committees and Branches committees in preparation for the forthcoming GFIW Conference in Baghdad with following unions in Baghdad:
the Construction and Wood Workers Union General; the Metal, Mechanic and Printing Workers Union, the Agriculture and Food Products Workers Union; Public service Workers Union; Transport and Communication; Textile and leather Products Workers Union; the Oil Workers Union and the Rail ways and Aviation Workers Union.
Participants debated the current state of the national economy and the prospect for the future.
In All discussion participants stressed on the importance of unity among Iraqi trade unionists in particular and working people in general to confront the challenges and obstacles faced by our union organizations in all sectors taking into consideration the recent anti unions legislation 8750 and the recent Oil memo. Participants also urged the Iraqi authorities to abolish Saddam’s 1987 Decree no 150 which the current Oil Minister seems want to revive.
GFIW
Baghdad
August 2007
The Iraqi Oil Minister Revives Saddam’s anti Union Law.
Statement issued by the General Union of Oil Workers and technicians (GUOWT), a GFIW affiliated union.
The oil workers unions sent a delegation to meet up with oil minister on the 6 August to discuss the current crisis but the minister refused to meet them.
The GUOWT issued a statement on the 2 August and again on the 7 August deploring the approach taken by the Oil Minister and called on him to withdraw the memo sent and signed by his legal adviser Mr Laith abd al Hussein, on 18 July 2007 under his personal instruction to the Iraqi oil companies in Baghdad, Bejy, Kirkuk and Basra ordering them not to deal with oil unions members, and instructed them not to allow oil unions members to be part of any committee formed at the work place.
On 6 August the GUOWT sent a delegation to meet the Oil Minister that sought to explain the union position on this issue, to persuade the minister to withdraw his memo and to inform the ministry that it is human right violation to deny Iraqi oil workers the right to organize and collective bargaining and it is a breach of ILO Convention 98 that Iraq has ratified.
The Oil Minister refused to meet the leadership of the GUOWT and sent the General Director of Information Bureau of the Oil Ministry to inform the oil workers delegation that the Oil Minister will not meet with people that represent unions in the oil sector for he said that there are no workers here but state employees. In this he is wittingly or unwittingly relying on Saddam’s decree of 150 that banned workers from organizing in the public sector.
The oil union delegation told the ministry’s officials that the GUOWT will not bow to such pressure and its recent history since it reformation in 2003 has been one of proud struggle in the defence of workers rights, the protection of Iraqi national assets ( Oil and Gas) from looting, stealing and corruption. The union endeavoured to strengthen and progress in the production of oil and had very good relationships with so many state oil officials.
Baghdad 7 July 2007