Iraq: Trade Union Leader Murdered

[Better Believe It]

INTERNATIONAL TRADE UNION CONFEDERATION (ITUC)
The ITUC represents 175 million workers in 155 countries and territories and has 311 national affiliates

Iraq: Trade Union Leader Murdered

Brussels, 30 November:

The ITUC has denounced the murder of Majeed Sahib Kareem, internal relations secretary of the General Federation of Iraqi Workers (GFIW), on 26 November. The GFIW reports that Majeed, who was a leading force for the organisation of workers in the public sector, was killed by a bomb which had been attached to his car.

“This latest premeditated atrocity against an Iraqi trade unionist must be fully investigated and the perpetrators brought to justice. The fact that workers in the public sector are deprived, by law, of the legitimate right to trade union representation only serves to reinforce the climate of impunity, and the government must bring Iraq’s labour laws into line with international standards, to ensure that the rights of every Iraqi worker are properly protected,” said Guy Ryder, ITUC general secretary.

Iraq’s notorious Saddam-era law 150 of 1987 has yet to be replaced by a legal framework for industrial relations which meets ILO standards, despite repeated calls by the country’s trade union movement. Furthermore, as detailed in the ITUC Annual Survey on Violations of Trade Union Rights, the Iraqi authorities have on many occasions directly interfered in the affairs of trade unions in the country, a practice which has continued in recent months and which must stop.

http://www.ituc-csi.org/spip.php?article4709

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US Labor Against The War (USLAW) Condemns Murder Of Iraqi Unionist

Sisters and Brothers:
It is with great sorrow and anger that we bring you the news of another violent death of a trade union leader in Iraq. Despite the numerous acts of violence committed against trade unionists in Iraq throughout the illegal U.S. military occupation, the American government has never said one word - no expression of regret, no condemnation, no call upon the Iraqi government to protect and respect workers' rights. That this happened during the criminal Bush administration is no surprise. That the silence continues with the new administration makes a mockery of President Obama's professed commitment to human rights and a democratic future for Iraq.


You can register your own outrage by calling the White House to demand that the administration speak up about these crimes and insist that the Maliki regime honor its obligation under both international treaty and Iraq's constitution to recognize, respect and protect workers and their unions as they struggle to defend their rights and interests. It should start by enacting a long-delayed basic labor law that conforms to ILO standards for all workers, both private and public.


WHITE HOUSE CALL-IN LINES: 202 456 1414 or 202 456 1111

http://www.kclabor.org/uslaw_condemns_murder_of_iraqi_u.htm