Join our campaign against the occupation and for labour rights in Iraq

Endorse our appeal to ILO to defend unconditional freedom for workers to organise and strike in Iraq

Twelve years of genocidal sanctions and the U.S. war of aggression have caused over 1.5 million deaths in Iraq, wreaking havoc on Iraqi society. In short, untold misery and suffering have been imposed on the people of Iraq. The U.S. government has placed Iraq on the verge of total collapse and within arm's reach of dreadful scenarios like, civil war, religious sectarianism, ethnic cleansing, and tribalism. Yet, the downfall of Saddam Hussein's brutal regime has created the opportunity for workers and unemployed masses across Iraq to come to organise themselves, protest about work conditions, resort to action, and hold street demonstrations in many cities.

The Union of the Unemployed (UUI) in Iraq emerged as the first significant initiative by Iraqi workers to confront the massive unemployment caused by the destructive U.S. war against Iraq. The union was founded in May 2003 by a group of 20 unemployed, revolutionary workers that had gathered in the looted and abandoned building of the infamous, Ba'athist "General Federation of Trade Unions in Iraq". In a democratic process they elected their leadership committee, which in turn elected Qasim Hadi to be their leader.

The main objective of the UUI involves pressing the C.P.A. (Civilian Provisional Authority) for unemployment benefits for workers in Iraq whose lives and economic well being have been turned upside down by the war. In fact, the one slogan most on rotation in the UUI reads, "Jobs or Unemployment Benefits for All!" The UUI has also pressed the C.P.A. to ensure that unemployed workers play a major role in job distribution and allocation. They have managed to allocate 600 work opportunities for unemployed people. In addition, as a result of their protest actions, they have provided workers with free medical services.

The UUI has established branches in seven provinces in Iraq. Within a few months, it signed up over 150,000 members. The union has launched 13 demonstrations in Baghdad and 7 protests in other cities. The UUI became a world-renowned, radical, working-class organisation for its 45-day sit-in protests across from Paul Bremer's headquarters in Baghdad, despite continuous attacks and repression by American forces. The union leaders and members were repeatedly arrested, harassed, and repressed by occupation forces.

The UUI is a genuine representative of unemployed workers. The UUI, along with the Federation of Workers Councils and Unions in Iraq, is striving to put forward a labour law as alternative labour legislation.

The IGC is continuing to violate international labour standards and has issued a decision No.16 on January 28 which recognises only a group, the IFTU, supporting the policies of IGC as legal representatives of labour movement in Iraq and excludes all other independent unions which have been established on the base of direct democracy and election by the workers themselves. We think this decision is in contradiction with ILO Conventions 87 and 98. Therefore we are demanding the abolishment of the decision and guarantee unconditional freedom for Iraqi Workers to organise and strike and full implementation of the ILO conventions in Iraq. It is up to the workers in Iraq to decide who is representing them and not for the CPA or IGC to determine who is representative of labour unions in Iraq.

On 13 June we will organise a conference in Geneva parallel to the ILO conference to discuss the situation of labour movement in Iraq and we will appreciate very much your participation in this conference for the sake of labour rights in Iraq.

Only Workers’ solidarity and struggle, in and outside of Iraq, will guarantee a better future for Iraqi society and the working people of Iraq.

We call you to join our campaign for the unconditional freedom of labour movement in Iraq to organise and strike and to end the occupation.

Aso Jabbar,

Representative Abroad of UUI and FWCUI abroad

Bern, Switzerland

May 2004