[Onthebarricades] IRAQ: Oil workers on strike in Basra

[Andy]

ICEM Supports IFOU in Today's Oil Industry Strike in Basra

At 6:30 AM this morning, 4 June 2007, oil workers struck  the pipeline company in Basra, Iraq, bringing an immediate  stop to the free flow of oil products, including kerosene and  gas through pipe number 42.

 The pipe transfers oil and gas to Baghdad and the governorates of the central region of the country. The workers are members of the Iraqi Federation of Oil Unions (IFOU). 

 The IFOU, previously known as the GUOE-Basra, and led by President Hassan Jumaa Awad Alasady, has over 26,000 members throughout the ten state oil companies operating in the south of Iraq. The union has a past history of strike action in defense of its members, and the oil industry as a whole of southern Iraq. 

 The ICEM, the global union federation of national energy unions throughout the world, supports the IFOU in their strike action today. 

 Earlier strike calls in May were postponed after the union gained a meeting with Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri Al-Maliki. That meeting, on 16 May, resulted in the creation of 
 a committee tasked with working on finding solutions acceptable to both sides. The ICEM understands that although several of the union demands have been fully agreed to by Iraqi authorities, the IFOU is still far from having all their demands fulfilled. This is what led to today's strike. 

 The union is currently focussing on two core demands in its strike at the pipeline company:

 
 . They demand that the Oil Ministry take action to force the general manager of the pipeline company to resign; and 
 . They demand that the company be financially and administratively independent from the Baghdad-based central ministry, and that the pipeline company be managed locally.

 
 ICEM is informed that the reason for the first demand, and the catalyst for today's action, is that the general manger of the pipeline company, Adel Aziz, who is based in Baghdad rather than in Basra, blocked the orders of Prime Minister Nouri Al-Mailiki to release delayed benefits due workers. Moreover, he stopped a Iraqi Dinar (IQD)50,000 allowance which the workers are regularly entitled to. 

 The background is available at: 
http://www.icem.org/en/77-All-ICEM-News-Releases/ 2260-Threatened-Oil-Industry-Strike-in-Iraq 


 A second phase of the strike has been threatened to begin tomorrow morning, again at 6.30 AM, in the event the IFOU does not receive signs signalling compliance with their demands. The second phase would expand the strike by closing pipeline number 48, which feeds the southern governorates with oil products. 

 ICEM, together with the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC), US Solidarity Center, and the UK's Trades Union Congress (TUC) of the UK is following developments closely, and will keep trade union affiliates and the public fully informed on developments in this key dispute. 

For further information, contact Jim Catterson, Intl. Federation of Chemical, Energy, Mine & General Workers' Unions (ICEM) Energy Officer: 

 +32 2 626 2045 
 Jim.catterson at icem.org 

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http://www.commondreams.org/news2007/0606-07.htm 

  Common Dreams 
  June 6, 2007 

  Iraq Government Orders Arrest of Oil Workers' Leaders 

  WASHINGTON 

  Iraq's powerful oil workers' trade union today 
  expressed alarm as an arrest warrant was issued for its 
  leaders, in an attempt to clamp down on industrial 
  action. 

  Members of the union have been on strike since Monday 
  4th June, in protest at the government's failure to 
  meet any of its promises made in a meeting with Prime 
  Minister Nouri al-Maliki on 16th May. The union's 16 
  demands included improvements to wages, health and 
  other working and living conditions as well as 
  consultation on the proposed oil law, which the union 
  opposes. The union added a 17th demand yesterday 
  demanding the sacking of the General Manager of the 
  Southern Pipeline Company. 

  On Tuesday, al-Maliki warned that he would meet threats 
  to oil production 'with an iron fist'. 

  The arrest warrant, based on a charge of 'sabotaging 
  the economy' specifically names Hassan Juma'a Awad, the 
  leader of the 26,000-strong Federation of Oil Unions, 
  and three other leaders of the Federation. 

  Hassan Juma'a commented, 'the government is 
  intimidating the union but we are determined to gain 
  our legitimate rights.' He added that the strike would 
  continue in accordance with the union's plan. 

  The strike entered its third day today and is in its 
  'second phase,' which now includes the closure of the 
  main distribution pipelines, including supplies to 
  Baghdad. 'Phase one' closed some of the smaller 
  distribution pipelines. Phases one and two did not 
  include production and exports. 

  The union is calling on all its supporters and unions 
  across the world to back the union at this critical 
  juncture. Sami Ramadani from the union's UK-based 
  support committee, Naftana said: 'Issuing a warrant for 
  the arrest of the oil workers' leaders is an outrageous 
  attack on trade union and democratic freedoms.' 

  Naftana is an independent UK-based committee supporting 
  democratic trade unionism in Iraq. It works in 
  solidarity with the IFOU. It strives to publicize 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 
  see the IFOU's website www.basraoilunion.org 
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