Labour Friends of Iraq gives its full support to this vital campaign in support of the rights and independence of the Iraqi labour movement. We have worked with our Iraqi brothers and sisters and many people in the UK for the last six years to do our bit to help the Iraqi trade unions stand on their own two feet, as they put it when a LFIQ delegation met 22 leaders of the movement in 2006 (see picture on the left).
The work of the Iraqi trade unions in helping to build a vibrant civil society, encouraging the participation of women and supporting the political and democratic process will, we think, do much to overcome the legacy of the previous regime whose crimes included the near annihilation of the trade unions. We hope that the widest range of labour and democratic organisations in the UK and internationally back this campaign.
We hope that Iraq regains its rightful position in the international community. Its undoubted natural and human resources means it will be prosperous. A strong trade union movement will ensure that this is combined with social justice for those who produce the wealth.
Dave Anderson MP and Gary Kent for Labour Friends of Iraq