31 May, 2010
The ICEM Executive Committee, on the second day of its annual deliberations 27 May, denounced Iraq’s government for continued failure to enact a draft labour law, as well as numerous and current prohibitions against trade union activities.
The resolution noted continued adherence to a Saddam Hussein decree that bans trade unions in the public sector, which includes the oil, gas, and electric power industries, and continued imposition of Decree 8750, imposed by the occupation forces in August 2005. That draconian decree, equally restriction on trade union rights as the Saddam one, grants government the power to take over unions at will and forbids trade unions from holding any assets or collecting subscriptions from workers.
The resolution also addresses the forced removals of trade union leaders from their work in the oil, gas, and related sectors, and condemns the most recent imposition by the government in restricting trade unionists from travelling outside the country. In that, the Supreme Ministerial Committee on Supervising the Implementation of the Governing Council Resolution No. 3-2005 must issue approval to those trade unionists seeking to travel or those invited outside of Iraq.
ICEM Executive Committee
“The ICEM Executive Committee condemns all of these Iraqi government acts against trade unions,” states the resolution. “We salute the bravery of our Iraqi brothers and sisters who continue to organise, represent and protect workers despite these attacks and a background of continued and escalating violence in the society at large.
“We are appalled that seven years after the fall of Saddam Hussein’s regime, workers in Iraq are still without legislative protection of their fundamental rights at work.”
(The complete resolution can be found in English here, and in Arabic here.)
The resolution notes the fact that trade unions inside Iraq have mounted a campaign for a globally-recognised labour law, complete with a website (found here) and encourages all trade unionists everywhere to visit the site and register your support for a fair and just labour law inside Iraq. The ICEM strongly supports the campaign and the website.