LFIQ meeting with Hasan Jumaa

LFIQ Joint President Dave Anderson MP and Director Gary Kent met Hasan Jumaa, the President of the Iraqi Federation of Oil Unions, on 28th February at the suggestion of the TUC as he was about to embark on an 8 city speaking tour with the Stop the War Coalition. He was accompanied by Sabah Jawad, who did the translation. Apologies were received for the meeting from Ann Clwyd MP, Katy Clarke MP and Dr Robert Spink MP

He told us that his union was formed days after the start of the occupation of Iraq. Their first action had been to expel the US company KPR from Basra. Membership stands at 26,000 in 10 oil companies including the Southern Oil Company and in related areas such as refineries and oil products. All the companies have union branches but the continuation of Saddam's anti-union laws prevents them from collecting individual membership dues which means they rely on personal contributions and international support. Their Executive Committee of 18 members, which has full powers to call strikes, meets once a week. They have a negative view of the Iraqi government and claim to be the first union to declare opposition, in 2006, to the privatisation of oil. Thanks to their pressure, the original draft oil law which included production-sharing agreements, was altered in its second draft.

He said that the Government still has a reflex attitude towards unions which means they are not respected and the Oil Minister had issued an instruction that oil companies should not deal with the unions. He added that there is still no labour law and encouraged LFIQ to use its good offices with Dawa and others.

The IFOU has, however, had discussions with the Iraqi Government including two meetings with the Iraqi PM and he has written a paper on the need for pluralism. We requested a copy of this by the end of April so we could use it in our own campaigning and discussions.

We asked about his relations with other union formations. He replied that they have good relations with others and have formed a Bureau for joint union activities to try to find common ground – 200 representatives had, three weeks before our meeting, attended such a Bureau meeting.

We asked about the issue of women's rights and cited reports that 76 women had been murdered in "honour" killings in the Iraqi South this year. He replied that the issue had been "slightly exaggerated" and that Iraq was in turmoil with the targeting of women having more than one explanation. He didn't know who is doing the killing. He said that women in Basra were curtailed in their activities and participation in public life. However, over 3,000 women work in the Southern Oil Company and the union has a women's section and planned a day of action to coincide with International Women's Day. He said that the prime responsibility for stopping the violence lies with the Government but cited reports that most killings were carried out by people in official cars.

We asked him if the union was participating in an international conference of oil unions then taking place in Amman. He replied that he hadn't heard of it.

Dave Anderson had to leave at this point. I then asked him why he was sharing a platform with Ibrahim Moussawi, a representative of the Hizbollah which is seen as a pro-Iranian, anti-Semitic terrorist organisation. He said that his union has no direct relationship with Hizbollah but had participated, last December, in the World Against War conference, with the group and delegations from 26 countries. He would use such events to highlight issue of oil privatisation and talk about Iraqi issues. He opposes the occupation of Iraq and sees the
occupation as the main perpetrator of Iraqis misfortune.

I asked what position he took on troops out to which he replied that they had a clear policy urging the immediate withdrawal of troops but would have no problem with a timetable for withdrawal. In response to a question concerning armed resistance, he supported what he called "honourable resistance" which includes those who do not target Iraqi civilians – not Al Qaeda. I asked if this would include support for the killing of foreign soldiers to which he gave a general statement that occupied people have a moral right to resist.

The meeting concluded.

Comment

LFIQ has long enjoyed very good relations with the IFTU and now the GFIW of which Hasan Juma'a has been critical, and they of him. However, we feel that it is vital to maintain contacts with a wide range of labour movement organisations and this is, in fact, the second such meeting between LFIQ and Hasan – the first being with the then MP Harry Barnes and myself in 2005.

Gary Kent
March 2008