Iraqi trade unions have taken a firm stance against the pillage of the country’s natural resources by rejecting the proposed hydro-carbon bill, which will hand over the country’s oil and gas reserves to multinational companies.
All five union federations have said that they oppose “the handing of control over oil to foreign companies” whose aim is to “rob the country’s natural wealth”. Yet the bill looks likely to be ushered through parliament very quickly with the minimum of debate, despite the unions’ demand that oil workers and the people have the right to participate in the discussions.
At the forefront of the fight against the bill is the General Union of Oil Employees (GUOE), which organises more than 26,000 workers in the four southern provinces, including Basra. Since the invasion, the GUOE has led a determined resistance to occupation and rip-off of the Iraqi oil industry. The GUOE has:
• Carried out successful strikes against US companies, such as Kellog, Brown and Root, in the oil industry
• Convened several anti-privatisation conferences including one last August
• Organised demonstrations in Basra against the Israeli invasion of Lebanon
• Campaigned against the occupation and IMF austerity measures in Iraq.
The GUOE is now leading the resistance to the oil bill drafted by Iraqi technocrats “advised” by the occupation forces. The bill aims to hand over all development of new fields to foreign companies, and may take a large chunk out of existing fields by claiming that they are being redeveloped.
The oil bill has been in the pipeline for several years. The NGO Platform has revealed that in 2004 the UK government was already talking with oil companies about drawing up such a law.
The GUOE is calling a conference in June to discuss taking action against the bill including an all-out strike. If all five union federations attend such a conference and support strike action, the bill can be halted. The action of workers will show how it is possible for the working class to oppose the occupation and unite people, irrespective of religious or political beliefs. The strike could bring the working class to the head of the resistance and provide an opportunity to take up demands beyond the oil industry, in order to build a mass, active anti-imperialist movement in Iraq.
Socialists and anti-imperialists in the UK must support and build solidarity with any action by the workers. We must also campaign at home to expose Britain’s role in creating the bill and take urgent action if any UK troops are used as strike breakers, including calling on soldiers to refuse to carry out such orders.
The Hands Off Iraqi Oil coalition has been set up to campaign against the oil bill and build solidarity with Iraqi workers. It can be contacted at: [INT www.handsoffiraqioil.org]Hands off Iraqi[/INT]