Richard Norton-Taylor
The Guardian, Friday July 25 2008
Eight Iraqi trade union leaders have been forcibly transferred from
Basra to Baghdad, where their lives are said to be at risk for
opposing a planned law in which control over oil exploration and
production would be placed in foreign hands.
The men, members of the Iraq Federation of Oil Unions, IFOU, have been
moved to the capital apparently on the personal orders of Hussain
al-Shahristani, the Iraqi oil minister, under anti-union legislation
left over from Saddam Hussein's rule. Greg Muttitt, co-director of
Platform, the human rights, environment and oil industry watchdog,
described the men's transfer as "extremely disturbing". He met
Shahristani a month ago to protest against the move.
The Iraqi oil minister said the eight men were involved with the
militias and in criminal activities, such as smuggling. But Muttitt
said: "There is absolutely no substance in these extremely serious
allegations and he offered no evidence."
Even if there was such evidence, it should be a matter for the Iraqi
judicial authorities and the courts, he added.
British officials in Baghdad and Basra have investigated the affair,
said Kim Howells, the foreign minister. In a letter, he said Britain
wanted to repeal Saddam's "restrictive" union laws and said Anne
Clywd, the prime minister's special envoy on human rights, had
recently "emphasised the fundamental need for free and fair trade
unions in Iraq".
However, he added: "It appears that the government of Iraq is tackling
illegal trade union activities with the South Oil Company."
John Hilary, executive director of War on Want, said: "The Iraqi
Federation of Oil Unions has been leading the opposition to the
sell-off of Iraq's oil and these members are clearly being targeted
for their political actions. We believe the British government should
work for the safety of Iraqi trade unionists, not be complicit in
their persecution."
In a letter to Howells, he said: "We would also like you to state
whether the British government in any way condones the transfer of
trade unionists into dangerous areas as a method of "tackling their
activities, whether legal or illegal".
Hassan Juma'a Awad, an IFOU spokesman, claimed the transfer was
ordered by Shahristani himself. "Those activists, through their hard
work, are well known for fighting corruption and corrupt-ministry
gangs in the oil sector," he insisted, adding that the transfer
amounted to a "human rights crime".
