Iraqi Government Freezes Oil Union's Bank Accounts
Jun 20 2006 21:27
PRESS RELEASE from Naftana - UK Support Committee for the General Union
of Oil Employees
Tuesday July 20th 2006
OIL UNION BANK ACCOUNT FROZEN
IRAQI GOVERNMENT ATTACKS OPPONENTS OF OIL PRIVATISATION
We have just confirmed reports that the Iraqi regime has frozen all
the bank accounts of the Iraqi oil workers' union, both abroad and
within Iraq.
Wave of anti-union activity by government The Iraqi regime's
decision comes in the wake of a series of anti-union measures,
including the disbanding of the council of the lawyers' union,
freezing the writers' union accounts and the September 2005 decree
making all trade union activity illegal. For that anti-union act the
regime used the pretext of promising the promulgation of a future law
to 'regulate' trade union organisations and their activities.
This action follows in the footsteps of US administrator Paul Bremer
In 2004 Paul Bremer, the occupation's then pro-consul in Iraq,
declared trade union activity in the state sector illegal. That
decision re-enacted Saddam Hussain's 1987 decree banning workers'
unions in the state sector by declaring them to be 'civil servants'
rather than 'workers'.
Hamstringing opponents of oil rip-off
Iraq's enormous oil wealth is being groomed for Production Sharing
Agreements, which would transfer effective control over all aspects
of oil policy, production and marketing to multination oil
companies. The oil workers' union is one of the most effective
opponents of this policy, organising an anti-privatisation conference
last year and another one to come this year.
Naftana member Ewa Jasiewicz is prepared to deal with enquiries. You
can call her on 07749 421576.
Notes for journalists
The GUOE organises over 23,000 oil and gas industry workers Naftana
(Arabic: 'our oil') was set up by UK activists after contact with the
GUOE. We are in regular contact with the leadership of the union.
In August 2003 the union halted oil exports for two days as a protest
over low wages
The GUOE is independent of any political party or union federation.
GUOE executive committee members, including its President, were part
of the opposition against Saddam Hussein's dictatorship, and many
were imprisoned by the regime.The GUOE is opposed to the military
occupation of Iraq and to the privatisation of the oil and industrial
sectors of Iraq.
The GUOE is a successor to the Southern Oil Company Union (SOCU), set
up immediately after the fall of the Saddam regime.
In October 2003 union activists kicked US company KBR out of oil
industry workplaces.
See the union's website www.basraoilunion.org for more details in both
Arabic and English
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