Anti-War Iraqi Trade Union Leaders To Tour The United States!

[Itsthetruth]

Please read this and do what you can to help build a successful tour. Perhaps these Iraqi union leaders could address your trade union or other organization.

May 6-22

US Labor Against the War is sponsoring a national US tour by lraqi labor leaders from three of the most important labor organizations in Iraq. This tour will provide the first opportunity for the labor movement, working people, the general public and the media in the US to hear directly from courageous Iraqi trade unionists who struggled for years under Hussein’s repression and now have stepped forward to organize workers under the difficult circumstances of violence and occupation.

The six-member delegation coming to the US will include Abdullah Muhsin, International Representative of the Iraqi Federation of Trade Unions; Falah Alwan, President, Federation of Workers’ Council and Unions in Iraq and Hassan Juma’a Awad President of the Southern Oil Company Union in Basra.

The purpose of the tour is both to educate US trade unionists about the conditions faced by Iraqi workers and their struggles, and to build direct worker-to-worker, union-to-union solidarity and support for Iraqi trade unionists in their effort to build a progressive secular Iraq.

For more information call Thomas C. Bacon at 512-350-5571 or email [email protected], or click here for the request for proposals.

http://www.uslaboragainstwar.org/article.php?list=type&type=78

Iraqi Labor Tour 2005 Request for Proposals


How Can Your Organization Participate?


We expect many requests from unions and other labor organizations that want the Iraqis to come to their union and community. We will send the Iraqis to those locations that are able to provide the broadest exposure for them to state, local and national US union leaders and members, the general public and the media. We are looking for Union conferences, national and regional meetings, Central Labor Council and State Federation events and other gatherings where they can speak. In addition, special events cosponsored by coalitions of organizations can be organized for them as well. More than one event may be proposed in a community. Workplace visits might be of particular interest to the Iraqis.

Event sponsors will be expected to raise funds to help make the visit possible. We estimate this tour, involving as many as six Iraqi union officials, will cost about $50,000. An advance contribution of at least $500 will be required from each community selected for a visit.



Make a First Proposal

We are requesting first drafts of proposals for hosting the Iraqis. Think big — this is one of the best opportunities we will have to talk about the war in Iraq and the situation of the Iraqi people within the labor movement. Written proposals should include information about the venue(s), audience (size and makeup), which unions and other organizations would/might participate/cosponsor, what dates you propose during the two week period when they are in the U.S., what kind of financial contribution you expect to offer, what provisions will be made for housing, security, media promotion, and interpreters.

We recognize that these first proposals will by necessity be “concepts” that will not be fully developed and will change as we move forward in finalizing the tour, but we want to get an idea of who is interested in sponsoring events and what type of events you think you can put together. Feel free to contact you statewide or national union, your CLC or State Fed to get them involved. In addition to events before labor audiences, consider the possibility of a university or other appearance where an honorarium could help defray the expenses of the tour.

Proposals will be reviewed on a first come first serve basis. Send written proposals to [email protected]. For more information call: Thomas C. Bacon at 512-350-5571


http://www.uslaboragainstwar.org/article.php?id=7888

[Itsthetruth]

1. Iraqi Trade Unionists Murdered By Right-Wing In Iraq

March 09, 2005

US Labor Against the War are publicising the following Appeal Statement launched following the brutal murder of Hadi Saleh (IFTU International Secretary) in Baghdad earlier this year.

Campaign for Peace and Democracy Statement Condemning Attacks on Iraqi Trade Unionists

OPPONENTS OF THE OCCUPATION CONDEMN ATTACKS ON IRAQI TRADE UNIONISTS

"We, who opposed the U.S.-led war on Iraq and who call for an immediate end to the occupation of that country, are appalled by the torture and assassination in Baghdad on January 4, 2005 of Hadi Salih, International Officer of the Iraqi Federation of Trade Unions (IFTU). There are also disturbing reports of intimidation, death threats and murders targeting other IFTU members, trade unionists in general, and political activists."

"We utterly condemn the assassination of Hadi Salih. We call upon all sides in the conflict in Iraq to respect the rights of non-combatants as required by international law and to recognize the rights of workers to organize freely, without threat or harm, in trade unions of their own choosing in accordance with International Labor Organization (ILO) standards."

"We believe that the physical targeting of trade unionists is in no way politically or morally acceptable, even though we disagree strongly with the IFTU's support of UN Resolution 1546, which supports the U.S. military presence in Iraq. This resolution has been used by the Bush Administration to justify keeping U.S. troops in the country."

"We also oppose the victory of those elements of the resistance whose agenda is to impose a repressive, authoritarian regime on the Iraqi people, whether that regime is Baathist or theocratic-fundamentalist. We do not know whether such authoritarian elements have gained decisive control over the resistance to the U.S. forces and their Iraqi and international allies. We do know, however, that the continuing occupation of Iraq, which grows more brutal with every passing day, only strengthens these elements, increases their influence over the resistance and makes their ultimate victory more likely."

"We further oppose the occupation because it is part and parcel of an imperial U.S. foreign policy that shores up undemocratic regimes like those of Saudi Arabia and Egypt, gives one-sided support to Israel against the Palestinians, and promotes unjust, inequitable economic policies throughout the world. Not only in Iraq but throughout the Middle East and globally U.S. foreign and military policy either directly or indirectly subverts freedom and democracy."

Signers

Stanley Aronowitz, Medea Benjamin, Norman Birnbaum, Eileen Boris, Carl Bromley, Noam Chomsky, Joshua Cohen, Marc Cooper, Richard Deats, Daniel Ellsberg, Carlos Espinosa, Gertrude Ezorsky, Barry Finger, Barbara Garson, Jill Godmilow, Linda Gordon, Gary Groth, Mina Hamilton, Thomas Harrison, Doug Henwood, Michael Hirsch, Adam Hochschild, Allen Hunter, Doug Ireland, Joanne Landy, Assaf Kfoury, Hany Khalil, Jesse Lemisch, John Leonard, Sue Leonard, Mark LeVine, Nelson Lichtenstein, Betty Reid Mandell, Marvin Mandell, David McReynolds, Timothy Mitchell, David Newby, Molly Nolan, David Oakford, Mike Parker, Glenn Perusek, Frances Fox Piven, Katha Pollitt, Nancy Romer, Ruth Rosen, Matthew Rothschild, Jennifer Scarlott, Jay Schaffner, Jason Schulman, Lynne Schwartz, Stephen Shalom, Sunil Sharma, Adam Shatz, Alan Sokal, Chris Toensing, Howard Wallace, Juanita Webster, Immanuel Wallerstein, Lois Weiner, Naomi Weisstein, Reginald Wilson, John Womack, Jr., Kent Worcester.

For further information about the issue, please contact us at
[email protected]

Hadi Saleh, IFTU International Secretary, assassinated 4th January 2005


Ali Hassan Abd, Iraqi trade unionist and member of the Oil and Gas Workers' Union assassinated on 18th February 2005



Iraqi Federation Of Workers Trade Unions (IFTU) website:
http://www.iraqitradeunions.org/