The administration of the Cotton Industries issued – based on a ministerial warrant – an order to transfer the unionist Falah Alwan from the company. The decision came as a result of the strike of the workers of the Cotton Industries Company which started on December 13, 2009.
Falah Alwan The punishment was a direct declaration that the freedom of assembly and demonstration is not allowed and it came as a confiscation of the simplest rights of workers. This matter was no more than a revival of the oppressive practices of the previous regime, which deprives the public sector workers from the right to organize. It also bans all kinds of gathering and strike.
It was not the first time of punishing the workers for practicing their right to assembly, or demanding their arrear remunerations. Punishments were previously applied against the unionists in the Petrochemical Industries, the Leather Industries, and the Oil Industries and Ur State Enterprise in the last year. Moreover, the Minister of Industry had previously issued an order to prevent any dealing with the Workers' Federations – and namely the Federation of Workers Councils and Union in Iraq (fwcui) in mid 2009.
We find these procedures an expression of a planned policy which reflects the previous regime's anti-worker policies. The continuity of forcing the regulations of the previous regime is a perpetuation of the policies of oppressing rights and freedoms of workers.
The Iraqi authorities which are currently eliminating the previous Baathists and the supporters of the former régime, from their governmental political positions, maintain simultaneously the oppressive regulations and laws of the former regime.
We demand the Iraqi authorities to respect the rights and freedoms of the workers, and to put an immediate end to issuing oppressive punishments against the activists. Otherwise, we demand the suspension of the membership of Iraq in the International Labour Organization (ILO).
We call onto all international workers' federations to press on the Iraqi authorities the need to respect the rights and freedoms of the workers.
19-01-2010
To contact Iraqi Embassies
London: lonemb@iraqmofamail.net
44 207 5909 220
Stockholm: stkemb@hotmail.com
0046 8 411 44 43
Paris: paremb@iraqmofamail.net
0033 1 45 53 33 70
Washington D.C:
Fax: 001 202-333-1129
Tel: 001202-742-1600
Sydney: iraqembcnb@hotmail.com
0061262862744
Fax: 0061 (02) 6286 8744
Please also send solidarity messages to the FWCUI: akram_nadir_1999@yahoo.com