Guardian: Iraq imposes 'Saddam style' ban on oil union

[kenny blankenship]

Guardian Online, Heather Stewart, Aug. 5 2007

Iraq's energy ministry is using a Saddam-era decree to crack down on trade unions and stifle dissent against foreign exploitation of the country's vast oil reserves, the Basra-based oil workers' union claims.

Hassan Juma'a, the union's leader, has been at the forefront of a public campaign against the signing of a controversial new oil law - demanded by Washington - that would lead to long-term profit-sharing contracts being signed with multinational oil giants.

But Hussein Shahrastani, Iraq's oil minister, has now issued a directive banning unions from participating in any official discussions about the new law, 'since these unions have no legal status to work within the state sector'.

'This means the union has lost any negotiating rights as regards their terms and conditions, as well as in regard to discussions of the oil law,' said Sami Ramadani of Naftana, the UK-based support committee for the union, who is himself an exile from Saddam's regime. 'The union is definitely defying this, and it has the support of the workers: that's its strength.'

The Iraqi oil worker's union contends that the country's vast petroleum reserves--the lion's share of which are to be exploited by private Western firms under the proposed oil law--could be used by the government to borrow money to rebuild Iraq, if those reserves weren't being thrown away to foreign interests.

Does the Democratic Party support the Iraqi oil worker's union?
What do Democratic candidates for President have to say about workers' rights in the shining new Iraq their Iraq War Resolution votes have created?

Yeah, I know it's a lame excuse for a joke. But I felt like asking anyway.