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12 January, 2009
Aqaba, Jordan, was the venue for the second seminar and workshop in 2008 that brought together Iraqi oil workers trade unions with the country’s transport and port workers unions. The programme is part of the ICEM–International Transport Workers’ Federation (ITF) Oil and Gas Workers’ Trade Union Alliance. The seminar took place from 16-December 16-20 2008. A first meeting took place in Amman, Jordan, in March.
The aims of the Alliance are to discuss, evaluate, and strengthen cooperation between the two Global Union Federations across the entire oil and gas sectors, and their logistical supply chain. Further aims are to develop strategic policy and enhanced organising abilities to jointly influence major companies in the industry, and to jointly organise mutual support and solidarity in achieving these objectives. Iraq is seen as a key country for such cooperation in the Middle East region.
The seminar was supported by the American Centre for International Labour Solidarity of the AFL-CIO, which participated as part of their extensive program of assistance to the Iraqi trade union movement. Facilitators were Jim Catterson of the ICEM, Bilal Malkawi of the ITF –Arab World, and Mary Ann Forbes, Solidarity Centre Country Program Director in Jordan.
Also participating in the discussions were three Jordanian trade unions, the Port Workers’ Union, the Petrochemical Workers’ Union, and the Mineworkers’ Union.
The seminar sessions included interactive presentations, which allowed participants to gain a better understanding of the roles of the ICEM, ITF, and Solidarity Centre, including policies towards Iraq and Iraqi trade unions, as well as sessions where participants split into work groups and then reported back to full plenary sessions of the seminar.
Participants took time out from discussing their own problems to discuss the year-long lockout of 260 oil refinery workers at a PetroCanada refinery in Montréal, Quebec, and sent a statement of support to the workers condemning the company’s behaviour, declaring their full solidarity with their fellow workers in Canada and calling on the company to settle the dispute in line with the CEP National Energy & Chemical Bargaining Pattern Agreement. The lockout has subsequently been settled with an agreement meeting union demands.
In the concluding sessions, participants further developed an action plan to build a network between oil & petrochemicals unions and ports unions to improve communication and coordination nationally, regionally, and globally. They returned to Iraq with plans to develop ongoing contacts at a regional level that will meet as a national group again inside Iraq, probably in Iraqi Kurdistan in a few months time. Another meeting will be held towards the end of 2009, again in Jordan.