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NEWS & LETTERS, May 2004Iraqi labor defenseNew York--On March 30, Issam Shukri, an Iraqi labor organizer and a founder of the Union of Unemployed in Iraq (UUI)--whose members number over 150,000--spoke on U.S. repression and the struggle of Iraqi workers under occupation at AFSCME Local 1707. He related the history of the Iraqi workers’ movement from its beginnings at the end of the 19th century to the problems facing it today. Shukri recounted some of the strikes organized since last summer demanding jobs and unemployment benefits, including the now famous 45-day sit-in strike held across from Paul Bremer’s headquarters. With broken infrastructure in Iraq and an unemployment rate near 75% of the adult workforce, there are many aspects of life under the occupation that are far worse than the 12 years under UN sanctions. Shukri also spoke about recent activities of the UUI to call attention to workers’ struggles in Iraq and to galvanize international support. These have included meeting with the International Labor Organization in Geneva to expose the violations of workers' rights committed by the Governing Council and solidarizing with U.S. Labor Against the War (USLAW) and several European worker organizations. Shukri took this opportunity to describe the new Federation of Workers' Councils and Unions in Iraq (FWCUI) made up of dozens of local unions. This organization is meant to counter Baath Party-dominated organizations, yellow unions, and official labor organizations, such as the one empowered by the Governing Council’s Resolution 3, which passed in January. The FWCUI, which works closely with the UUI opposes any actions that abrogate the workers’ right to represent themselves and any efforts of those in power to split workers along religious, ethnic and tribal lines, Shukri explained. The FWCUI also drafted a list of immediate labor demands. More information about their activities and positions can be found online at http://www.uuiraq.org/. While the event was endorsed by several organizations, including News and Letters Committees, and attended by several interested workers and activists, the turnout was meager in light of the importance today of solidarity with the other Iraq. Noticeably absent were representatives or participants from the broader anti-war movement, which seemed not to see this event as an opportunity to maintain the momentum gained by the large March 20 demonstration. The discussion session unfortunately came to be dominated by politicos from a couple of Trotskyist organizations, who challenged the views of the speaker by telling the audience that whoever was pointing guns at the occupying forces was on the side of the workers, for the time being. Pointing out the insufficiency of such a viewpoint has become crucial with the recent intensification of fighting in Iraq subsequent to this meeting. What remains clear is the importance of solidarity with workers and women in Iraq in their struggle to forge a new human society. This must be concretized in the coming months as the uncertain future of Iraq looms on the horizon. --Supporter |
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