Although Saddam Hussein was toppled from power seven years ago, public sector workers in Iraq are still waiting for the law the dictator introduced banning them from joining trade unions to be repealed.
Article 150, which Saddam made law in 1987, is the only law he brought in which has yet to be rewritten after the downfall of the dictator.
Activists accuse the authorities of keeping it on the statute book to intimidate workers from organising in a country where wages for many people are now little more than £170 a month. And with inflation pushing up prices many families are now struggling to live only just above – and in some cases just below – the poverty line.
Now, with the support of the country’s president, Jalal Talabani, and a number of recently elected MPs, the General Federation of Iraqi Workers is urging the new parliament to scrap Article 150. The demands of the federation, which consists of a dozen trade unions, are supported by sister organisations overseas including the TUC.
Abdullah Muhsin, international representative for the Federation, said: “When US-led coalition forces removed Saddam we, once again, began openly to organise. We welcomed the promises of Tony Blair and George W Bush to build democracy and, as organisations who represent workers of all different backgrounds, we want to be involved in building a new and more open Iraq.”
But just days after the Federation opened a new office in Baghdad in 2003, it was under attack. “Ten armed vehicles arrived and American forces ransacked our premises. They even ripped down posters denouncing terrorism and sectarianism, which we view as the deadly enemies of the workers.”
That was certainly the case in May when a textile factory in Hilla, 50 miles south of the capital, with a history of union organisation, was hit by a series of suicide bombs that left 40 people dead and 100 seriously injured. Despite the attacks, Mr Muhsin said the trade union movement is gathering strength because it cuts across other divisions in the country.
He said: “We are opposed to religious division, which scares the sectarians who use some of their energy to attack us. Like most Iraqis, we seek a peaceful end to the occupation of our country, as then those of us who live and work here can decide how our natural resources should be used. But only when Article 150 is scrapped can we hope to play a full part in building democracy in
Iraq.”
