Industrial Workers of the World

General Union of Oil Employees in Basra - PRESS RELEASE - Friday, June 08, 2007

The General Union of Oil Employees in Basra, Iraq, has its roots in the Southern Oil Company Trade Union, which was established after the occupation began in April 2003. The goal of the union, is to re-organise the relationship between workers and the company’s administration in order to fight for workers’ rights.

The president of the Iraqi Federation of Oil Unions (IFOU), HassanJuma’a has informed Naftana* at about 3.30 PM London time (Friday 8thJune 2007) that the arrest warrants against the leaders of the Federation have not been withdrawn, and he made an urgent appeal to world trade unionists and the anti-war movement to step up the solidarity campaign with Iraq’s oil workers and trade unionists.

Hassan Juma’a said “the arrest warrants, issued by the prime minister’s office, are still in force, despite the Federation’s decision to postpone the strike till Monday 11th June to allow for further negotiations.” US jet planes were buzzing the skies of Basra as he spoke to Naftana on the phone. He added that Iraqi army tanks and other forces were still besieging workers in Sheiba, in Basra governorate, but that the workers will resume the strike on Monday if their demands were not met.

IFOU members started strike action on Monday in the pipeline section, paralysing oil and gas supplies to many areas, including Baghdad. The very effective strike action was postponed on Wednesday to allow for further talks regarding the union’s 16 demands, relating to salary scales, better health and work conditions and demanding consultation on the proposed oil law. The so called Hydrocarbon Law is opposed by the union, which regards it as being against the Iraqi people’s interests and an imposition by the occupation governments.

The Federation’s leader urged all unions and the anti-war movement to “step up their solidarity with the our union and the struggle of our brave members.”

Naftana

For further information contact:

Sami Ramadani – 07863 138748 sami.ramadani@londonmet.ac.ukKamil Mahdi – k.a.mahdi@exeter.ac.ukSabah Jawad – 07985 336886 sabah.jawad@idao.orgNotes for editors: Naftana is an independent UK-based committee supporting democratic trade unionism in Iraq. It works in solidarity with the IFOU. It strives to publicise the union’s struggle for Iraqi social and economic rights and its stand against the privatisation of Iraqi oil demanded by the occupying powers. For more information and international appeals for solidarity action see the IFOU’s website

(The General Union of Oil Employees in Basra, Iraq, has its roots in the Southern Oil Company Trade Union, which was established after the occupation began in April 2003. The goal of the union, is to re-organise the relationship between workers and the company’s administration in order to fight for workers’ rights.)

Original release and Basra Oil Union websiet HERE