Iraqi Oil Workers To Strike Over Privatisation Law

Join the Hands Off Iraqi Oil Protest at Shell’s Annual General Meeting

Tuesday 15 May 2007
8.30am - 12 noon
Novotel London-West Hotel and Convention Centre,
1 Shortlands,
Hammersmith,
London
W6 8DR
(Nearest tube - Hammersmith)

for more info see:  http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/2007/05/369454

Official Letter Accouncing Strike Demands as Submitted to the Ministry of Oil by the IFOU
In the name of God the most merciful and graceful

(Seal)

Iraqi Federation of Oil Unions

www.basraoilunion.org

Date Reference 2007

His Excellency The Oil Minister
Subject: Entitlements

Sincere Salutations

It was our hope, after the fall of that statue, to witness the dawn of a new era marked by the recognition of the legitimate rights of our members in the oil sector. This sector that for so long has suffered injustice and been denied equity. Since the advent of this new era, we focused our efforts into effectively thwarting all attempts to exploit this sector and tamper with our resources. You have been informed of how we stalled foreign companies in their attempts to control our oil fields and refineries, and how we forced them to leave. In addition, we worked hand in hand with the ministries and agencies to accelerate the pace of oil production, and to safeguard the means of production, and raise awareness amongst workers of investing to boost the chances of success for the new era. Unfortunately, our demands for entitlements were ignored, despite four years of continued promises by ministry and government officials. In fact, we took our demands to the highest levels of the government.
We kept the prime minister apprized of our demands, but were disappointed when we came to realize that our demands fell on deaf ears. Throughout this period we worked to defuse anger and resentment and address criticism leveled by our members who mistakenly thought of us as the ones failing to put forth their legitimate demands. Henceforth:

After extensive deliberations, and based on the resolutions that came out of an Executive Board meeting with broad member representation on Thursday 26 April, 2007 at the Gas Corporation's premises in Basra, a strike was unanimously adopted, scheduled for May 10, 2007 in all the company's branches in the south and in the following provinces Basra/Missan Dhi Kar/Al Mouthnana.
The strike will go ahead, should the following demands not be completely met:

1- Make a determination on land allotment in the Shuaiba Province 52 and land distribution owned by oil companies, and the parcel in the Tannouma area, a property of the Southern Oil Company

2- Make a determination on oil companies' profits margins on the basis of the amendments to which you agreed and to determine those margins according to the certification/attestation from the south region financial/tax jurisdictions, not according to the formula adopted by the Minister that has been deemed detrimental to our membership.

3- Approval of accumulated ordinary unused vacations, and all vacations outstanding for more than 180 days. There is no justification for withholding any of these vacations. We also believe that the resolution issued by the State Advisory Council is not binding, for lack of legal foundation. We empathically insist that there be no salary deductions over the next few years for granted vacations days.

4- Granting full time status to temporary workers, notwithstanding the length of service but rather apply a more humanistic approach with those workers who are Iraqi nationals and who deserve a life in this country.

5- To hire new graduates of the last two classes

6- Rescind the new unified payment schedule which benefits only a very small number in the sector

7- Promote holders of elementary certificates to the next grade on par to their dismissed colleagues (for political reasons) and address the issue of stalled promotions for workers and others.

8- Rescind the 20% deduction from profits paid to the army and recovery of previous years' deductions.

9- We ask that those premises become employee-run, similar to other state-owned agencies. We deem the wait and see policy inappropriate, and we are wondering why the oil sector is treated so unfairly.

As we are stating the legitimate demands of our membership, it is our hope to obtain the support of those on whom we rely, and whom we supported with our blood in making the political process succeed. It is our hope to reinstate the rights of those who were aggrieved by Iraqi government officials, and eliminate the injustices bestowed on the southern region. We feel, up to the moment of this statement's drafting, that discrimination is continuing, and that the south is treated as the cash cow of Iraq. Our region gave so much to Iraq, but gained little in return. We would like to draw your attention to the fact that pollution in oil facilities has reached a peak, and the incidence of cancer has topped exceeded predictions. We also note, that the ministry pays little to no attention to these incidences that primarily impact the inhabitants in the southern area. We feel as if they are predestined to such a fate - to always give in vain. We are cautioning, that there is a limit to our tolerance. We ask that our demands be met. We feel that enough is enough.

Peace and grace be upon you.
Iraqi Federation of Oil Unions
4/27/2007

To: Top executives of oil companies
CC all media

Open Letter to the Members of he US Congress who Oppose the War on Iraq

To members of the European Parliaments who Oppose the War

Peace be upon you and greetings to you all,

We wish to clarify certain matters relating to events in Iraq for our friends among the members of the US Congress. It is common knowledge that the occupation spared neither the old nor the young, and that Iraq is passing through the most difficult of times because all and sundry are hounding it and covet a share of its riches. We see no good reason for linking the passing of the feeble Iraqi oil law to the withdrawal of the occupation troops from Iraq.

Everyone knows that the oil law does not serve the Iraqi people, and that it serves Bush, his supporters and the foreign companies at the expense of the Iraqi people who have been wronged and deprived of their right to their oil despite enduring all difficulties.

We ask our friends not to link withdrawal with the oil law, especially since the USA claimed that it came to Iraq as a liberator and not in order to control Iraq’s resources.

The general public in Iraq is totally convinced that Bush wants to rush the promulgation of the oil law so as to be leaving Iraq with a victory of sorts, because his project is failing every day and the occupation is collapsing in all parts of Iraq.

We wish to see you take a true stance for the children of Iraq, and we always say that history will remember those who advance peace over war.

With my regards,

Hassan Jum’a Awwad
Head of the Iraqi Federation of Oil Unions

Oil Union to Negotiate with Maliki - Northern and Central Unions will Strike in Solidarity

For Immediate Release:

Monday May 14th

Oil Strike Postponed for Negotiations with Prime Minister

The Iraqi Federation of Oil Unions has postponed its’ strike for this week.A 7-member delegation from the IFOU will meet with Prime Minister

Nourial Maliki in Baghdad tomorrow to continue negotiations.The delegation is set to return on Thursday when, if negotiations have failed to bear fruit, a new strike date will be set.

Union President Hassan Jumaa said that unions in the Northern OilCompany in Kirkuk, and the Mechanics and Engineers Union and Dora Refinery Union in Baghdad are ready to take solidarity strike actionwith the IFOU. ‘Members were balloted and have decided to take action with us if we strike’.

The Union, representing 26,000 workers, has held three previous strikes since 2003, each time stopping exports, for up to two days at a time.The Iraqi government has declared strike action by the Union as illegal.

Speaking from Basra today, union President Hassan Jumaa Awad said, ‘We are working within the law. We are not afraid of arrest and imprisonment because we know we have both the legal and the moral right in thisdispute. We are asking all unions and organisations which believe inhuman rights to stand with us and support us in our legitimate demands’.

The Union’s demands range from a restoration of a bonus scheme, land forhomes, approval of outstanding holidays and full time status fortemporary workers, to a long-held and reiterated demand for inclusion inconsultation over the country’s oil law. Further demands include government action against price rises because of their detrimental impact on all citizens (not just oil workers) and medical treatment for oil workers especially in areas affected by depleteduranium).See www.basraoiluion.org for more details.

The current draft of the Oil law proposes giving multinational companies the primary role in developing Iraq's huge untapped oilfields, under contracts lasting up to 30 years. Oil production in Iraq, like in most of the Middle East, has been in the public sector since the 1970s.

The Union recently addressed the US Congress and European Parliaments in a letter asking them not to link withdrawal with the passing of the oil law. In it Hassan Jumaa Awad said: ‘We ask our friends not to link withdrawal with the oil law, especially since the USA claimed that it came to Iraq as a liberator and not in order to control Iraq’s resources.

The general public in Iraq is totally convinced that Bush wants to rushthe promulgation of the oil law so as to be leaving Iraq with a victoryof sorts, because his project is failing every day and the occupation is collapsing in all parts of Iraq.’ See  http://priceofoil.org/ for a full translation

The proposed strike is the culmination of 4 years of campaigning on members’ issues involving protests, strikes and worker-lead lock-outs. In a communiqué announcing the strike, the Union declared: ‘Our demands for entitlements were ignored despite four years of continued promises by ministry and government officials…throughout this period we worked to diffuse anger and resentment and address criticism levelled by our members who mistakenly thought of us as the ones failing to put forth their legitimate demands…enough is enough’.

The number of death threats against union leaders has escalated since the strike was first declared, said Hasan Jumaa Awad. "As soon as the federation called for the strike, many of our members and officials were physically threatened by parties active in the political process, withthe aim of thwarting the strike and undermining the message of the strike organisers." The Union is taking these threats seriously.

Ewa Jasiewicz of the IFOU support committee ‘Naftana’ said: ‘This is a defining moment in the union’s history and in Iraq’s history. The unionis likely to encounter repression over its’ decision to strike –particularly over its position on the oil law. The world needs to be watching this dispute’.

ContactsHassan Jumaa Awad Al Assadi, President of the Iraqi Federation of OilUnions 00964 7801 001 196 or 00964 7804 114 619 www.basraoilunion.org

Sami Ramadani, lecturer and writer and member of Naftana - UK SupportCommittee for the IFOU 0044 7863 138 748  sami.ramadani@londonmet.ac.uk

Ewa Jasiewicz, Naftana UK Support Group for the IFOU and Hands Off IraqiOil Campaign 0044 7749 421 576  freelance@mailworks.org www.handsoffiraqioil.org

Notes

The Hands Off Iraqi Oil Campaign is holding a protest in solidarity with the IFOU and over Shell’s involvement in the Oil Law tomorrow at Shell’s AGM. 8.30am-12pm at the Hammersmith Novotel, 1 Shortlands, London W6

The IFOU is an independent trade union representing workers across 4southern provinces in Iraq: Misan, Dhi Qar, Basra and Mauthanna in nineoil and gas related companies.

The Union has been organizing since April 2003 and has stopped oilexports and production over wages and workers rights in the past. It hasalso held protests against oil smuggling, former regime bosses and whatthe union sees as the deliberate neglect and degradation of the industryin order to justify private investment.

Union members have carried out reconstruction work on drilling rigs,port equipment, pipelines and refineries since the invasion withminimal, mostly local resources.The Union is not linked to any political party in Iraq but has memberswhich belong to various parties.

The Union enjoys the support of trade unions and civil society organizations around the world including the International Confederationof Energy, Mining and General Workers Union (ICEM), the AFL-CIO in theUS, and the Trade Unions Congress (TUC) in the UK including the NUJ and TGWU. The union is partnered with UK development charity War on Want,the 3 milllion strong US Labor Against War in the USA, and Italian NGOUn Ponte Per.