The Minister of Labour and Social Affairs, Nassar Al Rubaie met a delegation of the GFIW executive led by Hadi Ali General Secretary of the GFIW, Ismail Khalil and Rahim Ali, Adnan Al Saffar, Jasip Awoda and Hashem Jonah.  

Falah Al Yasiri, Director General of the Legal Department at the ministry attended the meeting as well.

The meeting discussed the latest trade unions developments and the wiliness of the GFIW to hold fair and open workers trade unions elections.

The Minister stressed on the importance of trade unions independence and on non governmental interference. He said the sole role of the government –and its institutions– is to assist unions to hold workers elections within the next four months. He stressed non government interference in workers elections.  

The GFIW delegation emphasised on trade unions independence and its readiness to organize workers trade unions elections according to International Labour Organization standards that are free from narrow partisan gain by any political party.

The meeting also discussed the current draft labour law which fails to comply with international Labour Organization standards and in practically, the rights of public sector workers to trade union representations. Both agreed to coordinate efforts to apply pressure on the Parliament to modify the Draft in order to allow public sector workers the rights to organize and join unions. Both agreed to hold further joint consultation and coordination meetings for the preparation of workers elections and for monitoring the progress of current draft labour law.  

The GFIW delegation had—earlier on the same day- met Khalid Shwani, the Parliament Head of the Legal Committee and informed him of the GFIW concerns over the current Labour Law Draft which will be presented to Parliament, soon, for debate and adoption.

The GFIW delegation stressed that parliament should debate the original draft labour law that was submitted by the Council of Shwara and not the one submitted by the Council of Ministers to Parliament. The council of Minister had modified the council of Shwra’s draft by removing key article that allows public sector workers the right to organize.  The GFIW called on Parliament to abolish labour resolution 150 of 1987.

Mr Shwani, the Parliament Head of the Legal Committee, promised to inform Parliament of the GFIW concerns when the draft labour is debated.

The GFIW delegation previously had met Member of Parliament Yonadim Kana, the Head of Parliament Labour and Social Affairs Committee to discuss the current draft labour law and to inform him of the GFIW concerns about it.

Mr. Kana expressed his full understanding of the rights of working people to join trade union organizations including public sector workers according to the Iraqi constitution and international standards.  

GFIW

Baghdad

February 1 2012

www.iraqitradeunions.org

g_f_i_w@yahoo.com

Fax + 1516704200

Tahrir SQ. Al Rasheed Street. Baghdad Iraq

Dear Colleagues

You are aware of the national political crisis our country is experiencing, which is considered to be deeper and more profound than recent past crises, as it is gravely endangering the post-2003 national political process.  

In order for the GFIW to do its share and work with rest of Iraqis to ward off this dangerous threat, our GFIW must be united and strong; led by competent, sincere and principled trade unionists with high integrity, grassroots credentials who are deeply imbedded in democratic trade union struggles for workers’ rights and justice and independence from the hegemony of post-2003 governments and political parties. 

However, a number of GFIW leaders who sit as executive members, and as leaders of the GFIW branches and national private sector unions, do not adhere to or abide by democratic trade union values such as openness, independence and transparency and workers’ unity, but instead they employ covert methods of forgery such as falsifying workers elections; bribery and intimidation including threats. These violations were evident at the GFIW National Council Meeting on 18 January 2012.

We had called repeatedly for convening this National Council Meeting with the aim of addressing internal democratic deficits so as to move forward united, but those calls fell on deaf ears. However, despite our suspicion of government interference in the planning and timing of the 18^th January National Council Meeting, we agreed to join and take active part in it.  The stealth unwritten agenda of the meeting was cooked and prepared in advance by the then acting president of the GFIW with help of outside dominant political forces in government without prior knowledge of the whole leadership of the GFIW.

Your brothers and sisters whom you trusted to lead you over the last nine years pledge to carry on the struggle to clean up our trade union movement, the GFIW, from all impurities, and promise to defend unions’ democracy and independence, and above all stand firmly by workers’ interests. 

We affirm our commitment to conduct fair, genuine and transparent workers’ elections based on democratic rules and procedures.        

O Working People,

The GFIW is keen to keep you informed about grave trade union violations and wrong internal unions’ procedures conducted by some members of the GFIW leadership under the supervision of dominants elements within the government.  These flagrant trade unions violations were repeated at the GFIW National Council meeting on 18^th January 2012. We detail the following violations:

1-    Deliberate exclusion of GFIW executive members and regional offices in the preparation and setting of the agenda of the national meeting. The meeting had no progress report. If such a report was presented which should have been done by normal standard, then it should have detailed last year GFIW work which includes grave trade union violations that the GFIW experienced April-May 2011 at the hands of some of its executives when they falsified workers’ elections under the direction and auspices of a dominant elements within the government.   

2-    Brother Uday Rashid, the president of the Textile and leather products union was prevented and denied the right to enter the meeting. Brother Ali Shamkhi, the President of the Mechanic Workers Union was also prevented from joining the meeting. Two unknown persons were brought in to take the seats of the above two union presidents. It is worth noting that the above-mentioned two have been very outspoken in expressing their views about government interference.  When the meeting was challenged about these grave violations, no explanation was provided. 

           None of the public sector unions were invited.  

3-    Brother Saad Jassim, vice president of the GFIW in Maysan Province, was prevented from entering the meeting hall and instead an unknown person with no previous trade unions credentials was brought in to take his place instead.

4-    Mr Jabar Denbos was invited to attend the National Council meeting without the approval or knowledge of the whole GFIW leadership. Mr Denbos had previously been dismissed from his executive post because he had physically attacked the president of the Construction and Wood Workers Union who openly opposed the falsification of workers’ elections by government stooges in the executive of the GFIW.

5-    The inappropriate behavior and bad practices of the Chairperson of the meeting who appointed himself to post; refused to allow the meeting to appoint delegates to organize names of speakers and issues of debates; decided who speaks and who does not, controlled who enters the meeting and who is not allowed to enter. In simple words, he followed and executed the scenario planned by his political official master.

6-    Five security (officials) were employed for the day who exercised total control over who is allowed to enter the meeting and who is not allowed, executing the chairperson’s desire and his political masters.

7-    Inaccuracies in the process of sorting and counting of election results meant that final results were wrong.

Sisters and Brothers,

At this difficult stage which our trade union movement is experiencing, we pledge to you [workers of Iraq] that we shall carry out our professional and moral duties in building a united and strong trade union movement capable of defending workers’ interests in Iraq.  A movement that leads the struggle from the front for democratic trade union values such as transparency, independence and above all serving the interests of workers.

Due to the violations conducted before and during 18^th January 2012 meeting, we, members of the 18^th January national meeting of the GFIW (members of the executive, delegates of the unions and GFIW regional centers) reject the results and deliberations of the 18^th January National Council Meeting due to the suspicious planning and executing of the meeting.

We shall continue to expose trade unions violations and work to cleanse our movement from abusers and continue to expose, isolate and dismiss elements that were imposed forcibly to lead the movement. We emphasis on the importance of speeding up the preparations to hold democratic trade unions elections free from forgery. 

No to the falsification and distortion of the will of Iraqi workers. No to the tampering in Iraqi unions.

Long Live Workers’ Unity, the guarantee to secure legitimate workers rights.

GFIW

Baghdad, 25 January 2012

Tahrir Sq. Al rasheed Street. Baghdad, Iraq,

Email: g­_f_i­_w@yahoo.com

Website: www.iraqitradeunions.org

Fax: +1516704200

Tels: 8173030–    8153829 —  8153825– 8153817

Once more anti people forces (terrorists and criminals) committed waves of crimes against defenceless innocent ordinary working people across Baghdad 24 January 2012.

A car bomb blew up at 55 Square in Al Sadar city and road side bomb exploded in the industrial zone of Al Huria city killing and maiming many workers including unemployed construction workers waiting to be picked for daily waged jobs.  More than 170 ordinary working people had been killed this month so far.  

The General Federation of Iraqi Workers condemns and deplores these brutal and cowardly acts of terrorism against ordinary working people across Iraq; calls on Iraqi state and its security forces to haunt and captured terrorists and criminals responsible for such heinous acts of barbarism; hand them to justice to receive proper punishments.

The GFIW calls on the state as well to honour the martyrs and their families and to pay just compensation to the families of the dead and provide proper health and social care for the injured. The GFIW renews its repeated call to the Iraqi government and its relevant agencies in Baghdad and across Iraq’s provinces to provide appropriate safe and secure places for construction workers and others to gather while waiting to be picked for jobs.

The GFIW extends its deepest condolences and heartfelt sympathy to the families of martyrs and pray for a speedy recovery to the wounded and injured in yesterday’s cowardly car bomb attacks.

Glory and eternity to the martyrs

Speedy recovery for the wounded and injured.

GFIW

24 January 2012

Repression and state violence is likely to continue to plague the Middle East and North Africa in 2012 unless governments in the region and international powers wake up to the scale of the changes being demanded of them, Amnesty International warned today in a new report into the dramatic events of the last year. For full information please click here: http://www.amnesty.org/en/news/middle-east-and-north-africa-protest-and-repression-set-continue-2012-2012-01-09

Yousif Othman, the President of the KTU and Ahmed Jassam the Prsident of the ITU Technical Sector

Photos of the Iraqi Teachers Union ( ITU) and the Kurdistan Teachers Union/ Iraq (KTU) delegates at the EI 6 World Congress in Cape Town, South Africa.

People’s Movement In The Middle East And North Africa
August 04, 2011

   “The human rights situation throughout Iraq remains fragile as the country slowly transitions from a conflict to post-conflict country that faces enormous development challenges,” the 2010 Report on Human Rights in Iraq said.
   “Widespread poverty, economic stagnation, lack of opportunities,  environmental degradation and an absence of basic services constitute ’silent’ human rights violations that affect large sectors of the population,” it said.
   The report, from the United Nations Assistance Mission in Iraq’s  human rights office and the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, also cited inconclusive March 2010 parliamentary elections and the ensuing nine-plus months of deadlock as a source of rights problems.
   “It is believed that this fuelled instability, but it also contributed to a degree of inactivity in relation to implementing reforms and other measures aimed at ensuring the protection and provision of human rights to the Iraqi population,” it said.
   “Also affecting security was the withdrawal of all (US) combat troops during the year that was completed in August 2010.”    Deadly violence remains a significant issue: “Civilians were subjected to arbitrary loss of life and injury, but also limiting access to, and enjoyment of, other basic rights,” the report said.
   Attacks are still carried out almost daily in Iraq, more than eight years after the 2003 US-led invasion that overthrew Saddam Hussein. Violence has, however, fallen from its peak in 2006-2007.
   “Minorities suffered from various attacks throughout Iraq during  2010,” the report said, citing an October 31 assault on a Baghdad church that killed 44 worshippers and two priests as the worst single attack.
   It also criticised the fact that only one woman was appointed to  the Iraqi cabinet, and said that serious problems remain in terms of “honour crimes” against women, as well as female genital mutilation.
   The report noted that ending criminal impunity was a “serious challenge” and that freedom of the press “remains under threat.”

The strike of workers at Taq Taq (T.T.O.P co) Company which began on August 1 by a group of local workers most of them lived in the vicinity of the oil company. Protestors demanded that the company must honor its promises that pledged to workers when they signed their contracts. Protestors demanded improvement to their salaries which is much lower than the salaries of foreign workers working for the same company. In addition, protestors complained about the bad behavior of the company foreign director toward workers. Workers demanded, as well that the company should invest in the community welfare like paving the community main roads and by building some civic premises.    

The Kurdistan United Workers Union (KUWU)  fully support and endorse these legitimate workers demands.

It is wroth to report that these demands were discussed in a agreement reached in a meeting between representatives of the company and workers yesterday 2 August 2011. Present at the meeting were representatives from the Council of Ministers of the Region of Kurdistan Government [Iraq] and the Ministry of Natural Resources. Workers demands were met by the company and thus workers have decided to end their protest on the afternoon of August 2 and resume work again..

The KUWU Executive

Erbil

3 August 2011

Tunisia’s revolution earlier this year sparked off uprisings that continue to reverberate across the Arab world. Malika Achour from the Tunisian union movement told festival goers at Tolpuddle exactly how it all began.

The tiny Dorset village of Tolpuddle might seem a million miles away from revolutionary upheaval in North Africa, but as the spark that led to hard won rights for working people in Britain, it resonates strongly with events in Tunisia in January this year.

Malika Achour from the Tunisian teaching union was a special guest at this year’s Tolpuddle Martyr’s festival to explain their own Tolpuddle moment. Sheltering from Dorset’s soggy weather, I caught up with her on Saturday morning in the festival’s coffee tent.

Malika is a member of the Tunisian teaching union and a representative of its youth committee in the Ben Arous region. Her union is affiliated to the Union Generale Tunisienne du Travail (UGTT), effectively the Tunisian TUC.  for more information please click here: http://www.tuc.org.uk/international/tuc-19861-f0.cfm

For full story, please, click here to view report with Photo: نسيج الكوت  

Protestors demand better living conditions and the sacking of the company director.

Hundreds of workers  at al Kut National Textile Company  protested on Monday 25 July 2011 in front of the provincial council to demand better living conditions. Protestors called as well for the dismissal of the Director General of the Company.

Workers organized a peaceful demonstration to convey their demands, which included sacking the manager of the company who is accused by protestors as the reason behind the collapse of the al Kut Textile Company, which was one of the profitable national companies in Iraq.

One of the Protesters (Assad Ali)  said that 75 cases of kidney illness from pollution caused by waste left by cotton are now documented adding that workers are not being paid risk (dangerous work) allowances. Protestors called on the company to payout arrears of their allowances.

It is worth to note that Al Kut Textile Company employs 5500 workers in textile, spinning and knitting factories.