Skip to content or view mobile version

Home | Mobile | Editorial | Mission | Privacy | About | Contact | Help | Security | Support

A network of individuals, independent and alternative media activists and organisations, offering grassroots, non-corporate, non-commercial coverage of important social and political issues.

IRAQI ARMY SURROUNDS OIL WORKERS ON STRIKE

strike | 12.06.2007 16:42

Protest government anti-union activity in Iraq

Brent TUC has protested to the Iraqi embassy calling for the troops and arrest threat to be withdrawn.



1. IRAQI ARMY SURROUNDS OIL WORKERS ON STRIKE
2. TAKE SOLIDARITY ACTION
3. INTERNATIONAL UNIONS CALL FOR TROOPS OUT OF OIL UNION STRIKE

************ ********* ********* ********* ********* ********* ********* ********* ********* **

1. IRAQI ARMY SURROUNDS OIL WORKERS ON STRIKE

On the third day of an oil strike in southern Iraq, the Iraqi military surrounded oil workers and the prime minister issued arrest warrants for the union leaders, sparking an outcry from supporters and international unions.

"This will not stop us because we are defending people's rights," said Hassan Jumaa Awad, president of IFOU. As of Wednesday morning, when United Press International spoke to Awad via mobile phone in Basra at the site of one of the strikes, no arrests had been made, "but regardless, the arrest warrant is still active." He said that the "Iraqi Security Forces," who were present at the strike scenes, told him of the warrants and said that they would be making any arrests.

www.metimes. com/storyview. php?StoryID= 20070607- 080144-8705r

************ ********* ********* ********* ********* ********* ********* ********* ********* **

2. TAKE SOLIDARITY ACTION

Please send faxes and emails of support for the union to Prime Minister Nouri Al Maliki and Oil Minister Dr Hussein al Sharastani. Below is a model letter:

Model Letter:

Dear Mr Maliki
Dear Dr Hussein al Sharastani

I am writing to express support for the Iraqi Federation of Oil Unions in their right to take industrial action over issues relating to their members' economic and social welfare.

I am also concerned about the decision to arrest union leaders for deciding to take strike action. I trust that the Union will not be penalised for taking action which is legal according to the Iraqi constitution and a fundamental trade union freedom recognised all over the world.

The Union has repeatedly asked for involvement in the drafting of the Hydrocarbon Law but has been ignored. Iraqi civil society should be involved in the decision making process over the future of the Iraqi economy - this includes trade unions.

I will be monitoring the forthcoming news from the union and would like assurance that union members will not be harmed or punished for their actions.

Yours sincerely,

....

For the attention of:
Prime Minister Nouri Al Maliki
Minister of Oil, Dr Hussein al Sharastani

C/O Embassy of the Republic of Iraq
169 Knightsbridge London SW7 1DW
Phone: (020) 7581 2264
Fax: (020) 7589 3356
E-mail: lonemb@iraqmofamail .net
Telephone: +44 207 602 8456
Fax: +44 207 371 1652

************ ********* ********* ********* ********* ********* ********* ********* ********* **

3. INTERNATIONAL UNIONS CALL ON IRAQI GOVERNMENT TO PULL TROOPS OUT OF OIL UNION STRIKE

Due to the Iraqi military surrounding striking Basra oil pipeline workers, the 20-million-member International Federation of Chemical, Energy, Mine and General Workers' Unions (ICEM) today called on the government of Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki to conclude peaceful negotiations with the Iraqi Federation of Oil Unions (IFOU) in order to resolve their legitimate trade union demands. The ICEM is calling on all its 384 affiliated trade unions in 124 countries to send messages of support to IFOU. The ICEM is coordinating efforts to assist the IFOU together with the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC), the US Solidarity Center, and the UK's Trades Union Congress.

www.icem. org/en/77- All-ICEM- News-Releases/ 2285-ICEM- Protests- Iraqi-Military% E2%80%99s- Involvement- i

The TUC has called on the Iraqi Government to withdraw troops from the Basra oil fields immediately. The strike - about wages, bonuses, health and safety, use of temporary workers and the future of the oil industry in Iraq - has suspended delivery of oil to Baghdad and the southern Governates of Iraq. Responding to urgent appeals for solidarity from the Iraqi Federation of Oil Unions, which called the strike, TUC General Secretary Brendan Barber said: 'Military intervention is not the way to resolve industrial disputes. This strike began only after weeks of negotiation had failed to produce a deal, but negotiation is the only way to end the strike peacefully.' As of Tuesday night, negotiations had recommenced, and workers had returned temporarily to work, but the troops remain in place.

www.tuc. org.uk/internati onal/tuc- 13358-f0. cfm


strike

Additions

Update

12.06.2007 18:57

Hi,

It's great that you posted that but you are a week out of date. The General Union of Oil Employees in Basra faced down the military and have now claimed a tactical victory in their dispute. I think it is still worth sending the Iraqi government emails supporting the Union simply to let them know people in the UK are watching the situation.

Have a look at their excellent website.




Danny
- Homepage: http://www.basraoilunion.org/


Upcoming Coverage
View and post events
Upcoming Events UK
24th October, London: 2015 London Anarchist Bookfair
2nd - 8th November: Wrexham, Wales, UK & Everywhere: Week of Action Against the North Wales Prison & the Prison Industrial Complex. Cymraeg: Wythnos o Weithredu yn Erbyn Carchar Gogledd Cymru

Ongoing UK
Every Tuesday 6pm-8pm, Yorkshire: Demo/vigil at NSA/NRO Menwith Hill US Spy Base More info: CAAB.

Every Tuesday, UK & worldwide: Counter Terror Tuesdays. Call the US Embassy nearest to you to protest Obama's Terror Tuesdays. More info here

Every day, London: Vigil for Julian Assange outside Ecuadorian Embassy

Parliament Sq Protest: see topic page
Ongoing Global
Rossport, Ireland: see topic page
Israel-Palestine: Israel Indymedia | Palestine Indymedia
Oaxaca: Chiapas Indymedia
Regions
All Regions
Birmingham
Cambridge
Liverpool
London
Oxford
Sheffield
South Coast
Wales
World
Other Local IMCs
Bristol/South West
Nottingham
Scotland
Social Media
You can follow @ukindymedia on indy.im and Twitter. We are working on a Twitter policy. We do not use Facebook, and advise you not to either.
Support Us
We need help paying the bills for hosting this site, please consider supporting us financially.
Other Media Projects
Schnews
Dissident Island Radio
Corporate Watch
Media Lens
VisionOnTV
Earth First! Action Update
Earth First! Action Reports
Topics
All Topics
Afghanistan
Analysis
Animal Liberation
Anti-Nuclear
Anti-militarism
Anti-racism
Bio-technology
Climate Chaos
Culture
Ecology
Education
Energy Crisis
Fracking
Free Spaces
Gender
Globalisation
Health
History
Indymedia
Iraq
Migration
Ocean Defence
Other Press
Palestine
Policing
Public sector cuts
Repression
Social Struggles
Technology
Terror War
Workers' Movements
Zapatista
Major Reports
NATO 2014
G8 2013
Workfare
2011 Census Resistance
Occupy Everywhere
August Riots
Dale Farm
J30 Strike
Flotilla to Gaza
Mayday 2010
Tar Sands
G20 London Summit
University Occupations for Gaza
Guantanamo
Indymedia Server Seizure
COP15 Climate Summit 2009
Carmel Agrexco
G8 Japan 2008
SHAC
Stop Sequani
Stop RWB
Climate Camp 2008
Oaxaca Uprising
Rossport Solidarity
Smash EDO
SOCPA
Past Major Reports
Encrypted Page
You are viewing this page using an encrypted connection. If you bookmark this page or send its address in an email you might want to use the un-encrypted address of this page.
If you recieved a warning about an untrusted root certificate please install the CAcert root certificate, for more information see the security page.

Global IMC Network


www.indymedia.org

Projects
print
radio
satellite tv
video

Africa

Europe
antwerpen
armenia
athens
austria
barcelona
belarus
belgium
belgrade
brussels
bulgaria
calabria
croatia
cyprus
emilia-romagna
estrecho / madiaq
galiza
germany
grenoble
hungary
ireland
istanbul
italy
la plana
liege
liguria
lille
linksunten
lombardia
madrid
malta
marseille
nantes
napoli
netherlands
northern england
nottingham imc
paris/île-de-france
patras
piemonte
poland
portugal
roma
romania
russia
sardegna
scotland
sverige
switzerland
torun
toscana
ukraine
united kingdom
valencia

Latin America
argentina
bolivia
chiapas
chile
chile sur
cmi brasil
cmi sucre
colombia
ecuador
mexico
peru
puerto rico
qollasuyu
rosario
santiago
tijuana
uruguay
valparaiso
venezuela

Oceania
aotearoa
brisbane
burma
darwin
jakarta
manila
melbourne
perth
qc
sydney

South Asia
india


United States
arizona
arkansas
asheville
atlanta
Austin
binghamton
boston
buffalo
chicago
cleveland
colorado
columbus
dc
hawaii
houston
hudson mohawk
kansas city
la
madison
maine
miami
michigan
milwaukee
minneapolis/st. paul
new hampshire
new jersey
new mexico
new orleans
north carolina
north texas
nyc
oklahoma
philadelphia
pittsburgh
portland
richmond
rochester
rogue valley
saint louis
san diego
san francisco
san francisco bay area
santa barbara
santa cruz, ca
sarasota
seattle
tampa bay
united states
urbana-champaign
vermont
western mass
worcester

West Asia
Armenia
Beirut
Israel
Palestine

Topics
biotech

Process
fbi/legal updates
mailing lists
process & imc docs
tech