Iraqi Trade Unions, 17 January 2006.
The Iraqi economy has been severely affected by decades of sanctions, wars
and occupation. The Iraqi trade unions and federations believe in the
capacity of the country with all its oil and mineral resources to provide a
decent living standard for Iraqis.
The federations and unions consider that the wars and occupation have caused
a dramatic decrease in the living and social standards of Iraqis and
especially of workers.
The federations and unions stress the importance of complete sovereignty for
Iraq over its petroleum and natural resources so as to develop them in a way
that assures a complete reconstruction of the country. We wish to stress the
following points in regard to the policies of the IMF and World Bank in
Iraq:
1) Increasing transparency and additional representation for Iraq in the
decision-making structures of the IFIs.
2) To stop imposing structural adjustment conditions for loans.
3) Agreeing to provide funding for public services and state-owned
enterprises without demanding their privatization.
4) Canceling debts owed by Iraq that have resulted from the policies of the
former regime.
5) Rejecting the reduction of spending on social services especially the
elimination of government support for the food distribution system or the
reduction of the number of items covered.
6) Strongly rejecting the privatization of publicly owned entities and
especially of the oil, education, health, electricity, transportation and
construction sectors.
7) Rejecting the increase in the price of petroleum products, considering
the negative impact of the increase on the living standards of Iraqis.
8) Adopting a new labor law and a pension and social security law that
assure workers' rights and are in conformity with international labor
standards and human rights conventions. The World Bank and the IMF must also
respect these standards .
The unions and federations that have signed this statement announce the
formation of a permanent coordinating committee that will make its positions
known to the Iraqi Government and to the IFIs. They also demand that the
IFIs engage in dialogue, discussion and negotiations with the trade union
federations regarding their policies in Iraq.
Finally, they request the assistance of international trade union
organizations to provide all possible support to the above-mentioned
demands.
(Signed)
General Federation of Iraqi Workers
Oil Unions Federation in Iraq / Basra
Federation of Workers Councils and Unions in Iraq
Kurdistan General Workers Syndicate Union / Erbil
Iraqi Kurdistan Workers Syndicate Union
Amman, 16 January 2006
Citation: "Joint Statement Issued by the Iraqi Trade Unions Concerning the Programs of the World Bank and International Monetary Fund in Iraq," Iraqi Trade Unions, 17 January 2006.
Original URL: http://electroniciraq.net/news/printer2250.shtml