SOC Workers Win Their Fight for Higher Wages! Bremer's Orders Defied!
Across the Board Rise for Public Sector Workers Expected

Ewa Jasiewicz, Occupation Watch, Occupied Basra

Southern Oil Company workers won their three month struggle, underpinned
by the threat of an armed strike, for higher and fairer wages this month.
All oil sector workers in Iraq will now be receiving the SOC's negotiated
wagetable. The unity, solidarity and support of oil sector workers in the
central and northern fields in Kirkuk, Baaji and Baghdad's Daurra was key
in achieving this victory. Plus the fact that the CPA/GC is heavily
dependent on oil production and export from SOC, Iraq's biggest and most
lucrative oil company, following the inoperability of Iraq's northern
fields due to continuous attacks on pipelines and stations. The only Oil
Companies exporting crude oil from Iraq right now are SOC and Basra Oil
Company.

In December, union representatives told Occupation Watch that they had
been telling workers since last month to save some of their wages in the
event of strike action. When SOC workers saw that their wages were being
decreed by the Occupation Administration (OA) as signed by Paul Bremer
III in Order 30 on Employment Conditions of State Employees and that the
wages were lower than the emergency payments the OA had been paying post
regime fall, they decided to form their own wage scale based on market
prices - including the price of fuel, gas, rent and foodstuffs, work
location, and level of risk. The OA's wage table slashed all family, risk
and location payments workers survived on under the regime. In every
workplace OW visited, workers were frustrated with their low, late and
fluctuating wages, as well as the axing of all their 'survival' payments
and subsidies which sustained workers and their families.

The SOC union's wagetable demanded the minimum wage for an Iraqi oil
worker be set at 155,000 ID ($100) per month - more than doubling the
Occupation set 69,000 (currently worth $50-55) and a rise of 84,000 ID.
SOC's table also cut out two whole levels and 20 positions of the CPA's
130 position, 13 level wagetable. The Union persuaded their management
and General Director to support their demands for the homemade scale
following two days of meetings last month. The union reinforced their
demands by declaring that workers would join the armed resistance if
their demands were not met. This prompted the minister of oil to travel
to Basra himself and begin negotiations with union reps immediately.

The result was that the lowest minimum wage for the generators of Iraq's
wealth, the heart pumping its' economic lifeblood, is now 102,000 ID per
month - a rise of 33,000 ID. The whole wagetable now starts at level
nine and all those meant to receive level nine wages will now be moved up
to level eight, which starts at 120,000 ID ($85) and ends at 155,000 ID
($110). The maximum level an unskilled worker can earn is 328,000 ID
($250) per month - the end of level five. Five upwards deals with
technicians and workers with diplomas. Level four refers to workers with
over 30 years of experience and upwards is reserved for senior
technicians and engineers and management.

But why the concession for the lowest paid? Why not push for the 155,000
minimum? 102,000 is barely a life supporting wage. The lowest rent in
Basra is 25,000 per month (most peoples is 50,000), that leaves just
under 20,000 per week (approx 3000 ID per day) to spend on food, school
books, gas, fuel, car maintenance, clean water, cigarettes and any other
unexpected necessities. A full UN plastic 4-5 litre carrier of drinking
water costs 250 ID. A small chicken costs 3,500 ID, 1 kg of apples or
oranges (6) is 750, potatoes (6) is 500, a bag of bread (5 pieces) is
250, tomatoes (6) is 500 (in Baghdad due to transportation costs up from
the more fertile if DU radiated south, a kg is 2000 ID); a canister of
gas is approx 2000 ID. A pair of adult leather shoes is 20,000 ID, a pair
of socks 500 ID, cheapest family shampoo 750 ID. A family can just about
survive eating basic simple, rations bulked food, but it is nearly
impossible to save or find the money for a gift or journey or new item of
clothing. Life is hand to mouth for the vast majority of Iraqi people and
that's just for those lucky enough to have work - the estimated 70% or 10
million unemployed have even more of a struggle on their hands.

According to the occupation wagescale over a third (35%) of the Iraqi
public sector workforce is on 69,000 to 155,000. 10% - managerial and
administration levels receive 574,000 to 920,000.

So why the compromise? Infact its not. Risk and location payments have
also been taken into account and a further 18-30% payment is included on
top of the tabled figures. This means that all the wages detailed on the
table are potentially 30% higher according to a worker's location, i.e
dessert, remote area, dangerous position. Whether North Rumeilla,
contaminated by Depleted Uranium during both Gulf Wars is included as a
risky location is yet to be seen but the danger presented to workers
breathing in the tons of radioactive nuclear waste used by invading US/UK
troops is immediate, severe and life-threatening.

Of the victory, Hassan Jum'a, Head of SOC Union said: 'This is something
we were sure of. Our sector is the most organized in Iraq and we were
elected by the workers themselves'.

On the effect of the victory on the swelling struggle in the Electricity
sector, Jum'a said, 'It's the oil section first, then the other sectors
will follow, soon, soon, it will change, the influence will be felt'.
Samir Hanoon, Vice President of the Federation of Iraqi Trade Unions said
he was thrilled by the result and that it was 'all good' and was already
having a positive impact on the electricity unions' negotiations for
higher wages. 'Soon we'll be next. Our negotiations have been helped by
this and they are going well' he told OW. The rise for Iraqi workers
means a cutback for the exploitative ambitions of the Occupation
Administration and a blow to the logic and regularly heard corporate
boast of Iraq now possessing some of the cheapest labour in the middle
east.

The regional Occupaiton Administration, CPA South, claimed ignorance of
the wagetable, confusing SOC workers' new wagetable with the September
CPA Ordered one now printed up in December into colour booklets for
workers to read and understand why its natural for them to be paid slave
wages.

All in all, the courage of Iraqi oil workers in recognizing and affirming
their power as the sector capable of commanding GC ministers to attend to
their demands and breaking the perceived 'last word' authority of the
Occupation Administration, shows that social resistance to the occupation
and its dictates is alive and on fire and ready to strike for justice in
Iraq. Noone is taking this as a final result, but as a first win in a
journey of many, making up for the decades of silencing, violence and
murder by the Baath dictatorship. And it's also the first move in a
social battle waged more than anything to raise the consciousness and
confidence of workers, so broken by the Baath, to realize that they
themselves are a weapon against the injustices and exploitation of the
Occupation.

 http://www.cpa-iraq.org/regulations/20030909_CPAORD30.pdf - OA Order 30
on Reform of Salary and Employment Conditions of State Employees. The OA
wage table is at the very end

 http://www.infoshop.org/inews/stories.php?story=03/12/18/3142766 - Article posted on Infoshop on wagetable refusal mid-december

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(apologies for the lack on quotes and voice from Iraqi workers in this. I
had to go back to Baghdad so I didnt get a chance to discuss this at
length but I will be returning to Basra soon and will collect a statement
on the Victory from Hassan Jum'a (he said he'd write one) and hopefully
some from other SOC workers. Samir Hanoon was really depressed when I saw
him as he'd been threatened by Baathist-loyalists with having his brains
blown out at the latest union elections. The loyalists were pissed off
with the transparency and absence of space for corruption in the
elections. No Pasaran!)