Urgent appeal for financial support for the workers conference in Baghdad

To all unions, labour organizations, political parties and individuals -
support the forthcoming conference of workers in Baghdad!

Dear comrades and supporters of the struggle of workers in Iraq:

The federation of workers councils and unions in Iraq (FWCUI) is preparing
its second workers' conference in Iraq. This event will take place in
Baghdad in February 2005. As you are aware, we have already held a
successful conference in Basra that attracted more than 350 representatives
of workers from various unions and factories and from different cities in
south Iraq. These participants created a united leadership to move towards
a more coordinated struggle of workers across the south. This has provided
a model for workers in other parts of Iraq and now - responding to the
demands of workers in Baghdad and other cities in central Iraq - FWCUI is
preparing this second conference.

Our second conference is going to be another major step towards uniting
workers around a clear progressive platform. It will facilitate the
struggle of the workers of Iraq to impose their just demands on the pro-US
administration. Crucially, it will also be a boost to the formation of
strong independent unions across Iraq, fighting workers' organizations that
are independent and opposed to the US's repressive machinations against our
class. The reason workers are gathering around our federation is because
of its intransigent commitment to independent working class principles and
its defense of workers' rights. All of this was evidenced in recent
successful wave of strikes lead by FWCUI.

The workers of Iraq are determined to hold their conference in Baghdad, the
capital of their country. This conference will be an essential organizing
tool to strengthen the many local initiatives that are taking place in the
field of trade union struggles as well as to forge a united working class
front with the struggles that are taking place the length and breadth of Iraq.

But we desperately need your help and solidarity. Concretely, we are asking
for donations - large or small - to help make sure this vital working class
gathering can go ahead.


The FWCUI's budget for this conference is $10,000


We need this money In order to accommodate workers coming from different
parts of the country as well transport, security, food, publicity, renting
hall, etc.


Please rush your donations to FWCUI - help make sure that this historic
step forward for working people in Iraq actually takes place.



In solidarity



Aso Jabbar and Houzan Mahmoud- FWCUI



For more information please contact:



Aso Jabbar

Houzan Mahmoud




E-mail:

asojabbar@yahoo.com (Switzerland)

houzan73@yahoo.co.uk (Britain)