Speech by Abdullah Muhsin, on behalf of the Iraqi Workers' Federation (formerly IFTU) at the Labour Friends of Iraq fringe meeting at the Labour Party Conference.
I would like to extend the warm greetings of the newly formed Iraqi Workers Federation (IWF) to each one of you. Thank you very much for your support and we proudly applaud the solidarity work of Unison in supporting the development of emerging Iraqi free, independent and democratic unions.
The IWF would like to applaud the work of the British TUC who have sent a fact-finding mission to Iraq and is working with the IFTU and with our sister unions in Iraqi Kurdistan to build the capacity of free and democratic unions in Iraq.
I strongly believe that supporting Iraqi democrats, socialists and free trade unions, is today the most important work there is.
Sisters and brothers
Iraq has suffered terribly under Saddam's murderous rule, which has cost the lives of thousands of innocent Iraqis. And as you see now on your TV screens, the suffering continues today. Iraq is still being occupied by foreign forces and is not yet peaceful or democratic.
Our fledgling federation is fighting for a democratic Iraq, free from foreign forces. And it fights for the building of free, independent and democratic unions, free from state and political parties’ interference. The IWF struggles alongside Iraqi progressive forces for:
* secular constitution that guarantees women's and workers’ rights according to international standards and specifically the fundamental laws of the International Labour organisation (ILO).
* free and democratic elections, which are supervised by the UN, so as Iraq can regain full sovereignty.
* Labour and social security codes that adhere to ILO standards.
These were among some of the demands our federation raised since ever the fall of Saddam’s despicable regime on April 9 2003 and these demands are still our goal today.
Colleagues, let me start by talking about the impact of terrorism on my homeland Iraq.
We want foreign troops out of Iraq as part of the UN political process. And we want free, open and democratic elections so as Iraq can regain its full sovereignty.
The majority of Iraqis, as you saw on your TV screens on 30 January’s election, battle to end the occupation, to build the institutions of democracy; and struggle to prevent the return of authoritarian rule and, of course to stop and eradicate the growth of extremism in Iraq.
But in this work, reactionary and anti-social forces and terrorists hinder us and are causing grave security problems. Unfortunately the current government of Al Jaffari is not helping, although the IWF supports its political drive in general, as it is envisaged by UN resolution 1546.
Iraq is bleeding from the wounds inflicted by acts of extremism - of suicide car bombs that deliberately target innocent Iraqi people. Just like the one that targeted unemployed workers queuing for desperately needed work on 14 September 2005 and killed indiscriminately over 150 construction workers and cleaners.
And a few weeks prior to the above horror, Iraq saw another great tragedy committed by a terrorist inspired panic, which lead to the death of thousands of innocent Iraqi men, women and children, in the stampede on Al Khadamiya Bridge in Baghdad.
On the draft constitution, the IWF support the draft in general, although we have great reservations about the draft being proposed for a referendum on 15 October 2005.
The IWF reservations are firstly the reference to Islam as the source of law and specifically with reference to women’s civil rights - inheritance, divorce and children. The IWF support the principle of federalism to Iraqi Kurdistan but strongly oppose the sectarian way to divide Iraq.
Please allow me to say few words on the latest developments within the Iraqi trade union movement.
The IFTU since its foundation on the 16 May 2003 insisted on the importance and need to reform the Iraqi labour movement into one single TUC, not on an ideological basis but as a genuine democratic and independent national trade union movement, independent of state and political parties.
I am proud to report that after months of detailed discussions in Baghdad and across Iraq, the three trade union federations in Iraq (IFTU, GFTU and the GFITU) have merged together on the 20 September 2005 and have formed the Iraqi Workers Federation (IWF).
With your help, the TUC and the international Labour movement (ICFTU), the IWF can play an important role in helping a sovereign and democratic Iraq to emerge from the long night mare of Saddam.
In all these tasks we appeal for your help.
Abdullah Muhsin
IWF
Labour Party Conference
28 September 2005
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