Outside of the area of the Kurdistan Regional Government, Iraqi Trade Unions face the sequestration of their funds under Decree 8750 which was adopted in August 2005. The bulk of these Trade Unions operate in the dominant public sector of the economy. Saddam Hussein's Law 150 is still in operation (outside of Iraqi Kurdistan) banning Trade Unionism in this sector. In announcing this Law on 11 March, 1987 Saddam said "from now on the title 'worker' is abolished and all workers shall become official employees of the State".
The extent to which the current Government makes use of Saddam's legislation is to be seen in the current dispute over the Iraqi Oil Laws.
It is a disgrace that basic Trade Union rights are denied in non-Kurdistan Iraq. Furthermore, the Trade Union's position on Iraq's Proposed Oil Law is a fully justified one. Support within the British Trade Union and Labour Movement is needed for our brothers and sisters in Iraq. Luckily, the TUC takes a lead on this matter - see their third item.*
My fuller analysis of the Trade Union situation in Iraq is provided here.
* = Brendon Barber (the TUC's General Secretary) went on to pursue this matter in this informative letter which he sent to Nuri al-Maliki (the Iraqi Prime Minister) on 3 August.
9 comments:
Been to Last of Iraqis site and glad you asked the question.
Hope you get a response.
The trouble being that people can go out celebrating and be hit by celebratory gun fire. I don't know if you saw this stupid action -
http://www.iraqslogger.com/index.php/post/3750/Lion_of_Babylon_Statue_Bombed_Destroyed
No, Harry I had not seen it.
To know that is their own people destroying their own history is a tragedy. What is now happening in Iraq, Iran et al is sometimes unbelievable. This from people whose ancestors built and continued to improve civilisation through our 'Dark Ages'. For which we should be grateful as we benefitted from that enlightend progress.
I have always been interested in the history of the area, engendered through an enthusiastic history teacher (good old fashioned education I had in Gateshead) who made sure that although we might lead the British Empire, first and foremost we were part of a greater world and humanity.
Harry on the LOI blog. Someone saysthey 'think he has had to take a trip somewhere etc'.
Keeping all things crossed.
The first half of the following (headed "1956") explains my own long term interest in Iraq -
http://threescoreyearsandten.blogspot.com/2006/08/then-now.html
Good News, 'Last of Iraqis in Syria with wife'. He posted on his site.
Mrs K, Thanks, Good News.
Mrs. K, re your comment that the area had preserved Classical civilization... I had a chat today with a graduate in Persian Literature and Language who suggested the real centre of learning in the Muslim world was indeed there, with it's Shia influences. Happy ijtihad!
Regions which show the greatest intellectual innovation tend to be where socities meet - Andalus, Baghdad, while the core parts of the "Arab world" were less so. Equally, it was unlikely an accident that the Renaissance started in that part of Europe with closest relations with learnéd Islamic culture, and not the Carpathian mountains or Balkan hinterland.
I have recently added a footnote to this posted item, which provides this link to the TUC protest's over the treatment of Trade Unionists in the Iraqi Oil Industry. It contains arguments on the Iraqi Government's obligations to the ILO which I had not used. -
http://www.tuc.org.uk/international/tuc-13588-f0.cfm
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