Witnessed: 1311 times
Sharing her views on the undemocratic and unfair labor situation in U.S.-Occupied Iraq was Ms. Shawna Bader-Blau, Senior Program Officer of the Solidary Center for the AFL-CIO. Background: The regime installed in Iraq by the Bush Administration has banned all trade unions. A rally protesting the suppression of workers' rights in that country was held on Aug. 16, 2007. It was sponsored by the AFL-CIO, its Solidarity Center, and the Washington, D.C. Labor Council. The event was held in front of the Republic of Iraq Embassy, at 3421 Massachusetts Ave., N.W.
At the same time as it is seeking to wrest control of the oil profits from the Iraqi people, the government of Iraq also is refusing to give workers the right to a voice at work. The current government has not repealed laws enacted under the former regime that prohibit public employees from joining unions. To make matters worse, Iraq’s oil minister issued a ruling declaring all public unions in the country illegal and ordered the managers of oil facilities not to deal with the oil unions.