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ILC INTERNATIONAL NEWSLETTER NO. 70
A dossier of weekly information published by the International
Liaison Committee of Workers and Peoples
(March 9, 2004)
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Table of Contents
- Presentation
- Spain: Four Days that Shook the World
- Iraq: Report from Delegation to Geneva
- International Conference in Geneva, April 24-25, 2004
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To contact us:
ILC International Newsletter
International Liaison Committee of Workers and Peoples
87, rue du Faubourg Saint Denis 75010 Paris, France
Tel: (33 1) 48 01 88 28 e-mail: eit.ilc@fr.oleane.com
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Presentation
This issue of ILC International Newsletter is special. We judged it
necessary to dedicate it to (1) the four days that shook Spain, (2) the
international delegation "for labor rights in Iraq" that was
received at the ILO headquarters, and (3) the appeal by Swiss activists
for a European conference next April 24-25 in Geneva.
********************
Four Days that Shook Spain
The People of Spain Voted Against the Occupation of Iraq
[based on reports from correspondents across Spain]
First Day, Thursday, March 11:
On Thursday, March 11th between 7 and 7.45 a.m., 10 of the 13 bombs
exploded on trains and stations in the popular suburbs of Madrid: 201
deaths, 1,500 injured.
Immediately, the Secretary of the Interior, Acebes, declared that ETA
was responsible. At 9.30 a.m. Ibarretxe, President of the Basque
government, echoed the government's words. On Friday, he was obliged to
say that he trusted the government, that he had declared his support in
good faith and that he was now obliged to ask the government for all the
information they had.
10.30 a.m. Otegui, spokesman for the Basque organization Batasuna
(independent Basque party, outlawed by Aznar, which he accused of being
ETA's legal front) declared it wasn't ETA.
1 p.m. Prime Minister Aznar calls all newspaper editors to tell them it
is the ETA. He starts again at 8.45 p.m.
5.25 p.m. The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ana Palacio, tabled the
subject again. The Europa Press agency reports "she sent a circular
to all of Spain's ambassadors asking them to support the theory of ETA's
responsibility." She said that ETA is guilty and required all
ambassadors to stick to this point of view. "Her Excellency uses
every occasion to confirm the responsibility of ETA in these attacks and
remove all doubts on the subject."
The UN Security Council votes on the resolution presented by Spain. At
the same time, Juerguen Storbeck, director of Europol declares:
"The attempts in Madrid do not correspond at present to the manner
in which ETA operates."
[Reminder: On Sunday, March 14, legislative elections were held
throughout Spain. The government of the Popular Party, a neofrancoist
rightwing party, is not only a repressive government against the workers
and the peoples of Spain; it is Bush's direct spokesperson in Europe. It
is one of the "faithful allies" in the war against Iraq. It
supports America's requirements 100% in relation to the European Union.
[The Popular Party used the fight against terrorism as the main axis of
its election campaign, accusing all other parties, especially the PSOE
[the Socialist Party], of joking about terrorism. On the eve of the
attack, unofficial polls considered the Popular Party was the
front-runner, though without an absolute majority. Doesn't this explain
Aznar's attitude in the hours following the attack?]
-----
Second Day, Friday, March 12.
Doubts set in: "Was it the ETA?"
A Madrid correspondent writes:
"The unions called for a 15-minute strike at noon on Friday and
gatherings are to be held in front of factories and businesses. Among
the numerous trade unions, the UGT and the CCOO federations called to
use these 15 minutes to hold general assemblies and to insist the
government disclose all the information. The Madrid UGT issued a
declaration condemning terrorism without reference to ETA. On Friday
morning, the Madrid government convened all parties and organizations.
It wanted to dictate to all that the banners for the demonstration that
evening should read: "Defense of the Francoist constitution!"
But the UGT with the support of the CCOO decided -- despite all the
threats -- to organize a procession with their own banner. And that is
what they did."
That evening, at 7 p.m. over 11 million workers, youths, people took
over all the parks and avenues of Spain's cities.
Hundreds and thousands in Madrid. A compact mass of demonstrators
chanted: "We want to know who did it!" At 7 p.m. there are
more than two million. There is a total silence. Suddenly, Aznar, the
government's President arrives accompanied by Prince Felipe of Spain.
The masses shout: "Who did it?" (Quién ha sido?) It refuses
to be taken in by those that triggered the war in Iraq, which the people
did not want.
Mixed in with the demonstrators are organized fascist groups. They
attempt to attack the procession of the UGT and the CCOO shouting:
"Re-establish the death penalty! Death to Carod and Ibarretxe."
(1) The demonstrator reply: "No!" and repel the fascist
groups.
The doubts increase: "If it wasn't the ETA, why did Aznar and the
government make these accusations?". There are more cries: "No
to war!", More and more groups shout at Aznar: "Liar! We want
to know the truth!" Others chant: "A united Spain will never
be defeated!" Some demonstrators wonder: "Is this
demonstration against the ETA or against the Popular Party?"
One million three hundred thousand demonstrate in Barcelona:
One million three hundred thousand Barcelonans gathered in the
center of the Catalan capital. They all shouted: "No to terrorism,
no to war!" "Aznar is responsible!" The banners read:
"Madrid, Baghdad victims of the same war!" and "New York,
September 11, Madrid March 11, London 11?"; and "This is the
price of the Azores Pact!". One headband reads: "Solidarity
for the victims of democracy, no to terrorism!" No reference to the
francoist constitution. In view of this the vice-president of the
government accompanied by leaders of the Popular Party withdraws from
the head of the demonstration, as the demonstrators boo him and oust
them from the demonstration. They withdraw under police protection. The
crowds scream accusations: "Assassins! Assassins!" Of all the
demonstrations, the one in Barcelona was probably the one that clearly
expressed the rejection of the government, the war and the manipulation
of the attack. Doubts were rising everywhere.
700,000 demonstrators in Valencia:
Two demonstrations, one cry. One said "No to violence, no to
terrorism!" The other "No to war!"
Several demonstrations in Bilbao, supporting the Basque Nationalist
Party, the PSOE, the radical nationalist of Batasuna. There also they
cried out: "Popular Party-Aznar are guilty!" Arnaldo Otegui,
the Batasuna leader, said: " Aznar lies the same as he did in
regard to Iraq! He is going to continue lying until after the
elections!" A few yards away a small isolated group of the Popular
Party and neo-fascists gather and yell out, "Basta ya!"
(Enough!)
-----
Third Day, Saturday, March 13:
A sudden turn of events in a climate of doubt and suspicion!"
Sur France Info, Saturday morning announces: "September 11,
Spain, France, Europe who to believe now?" "Hypothesis: if Al
Qaeda wasn't there. I don't know what the political impact would be.
"The Spanish government has good reasons to accuse ETA. Which
reasons?
Interview with political expert Francois Heisburg: Question: "Has
the government tried to deceive, to distort? Answer: " I don't
think the lies were intended to deceive public opinion. Š But in terms
of political management, it is disastrous."
In fact, it not just a question of "management." It is the
politics of "state lies" -- the Big Lie. Like Blair in England
and Bush with his famous weapons of mass destruction," most people
now understand there were no such weapons; they were being duped.
Liars, forgers! Why? Because it's necessary to try to promote
"national unity" and "the Atlantic Pact" replies
Heisburg.
In Spain the newspaper El País, is seriously worried: "The
government is on the ETA track Š; it is to be hoped that there wasn't
an attempt to hide or manipulate information."
Le Monde, Saturday 14th, cites a metal worker who confides
his 'uneasiness'; "Whoever are the authors of the massacre, I
condemn them, but we have the right to the truth. If I didn't hesitate
to demonstrate, I am scared of being poisoned. To proclaim that ETA is
responsible for this terrible crime it is time to begin the
investigation, especially two days before the elections."
Saturday morning, 11 a.m.: at a cemetery in Madrid, two activists
from the service industry (banks, insurance) who died in the attack are
buried. The crowds accompany their coffins. The heads of the UGT are
there: "We must insist the government disclose all the information
it is withholding. It is obvious that they won't say anything until
after the elections. They must be accountable. They put us in this war.
They made the war that arrived in Madrid. They are the ones
responsible."
"A sudden turn of events: Saturday evening around 8.15 p.m. the
Secretary of the Interior, Angel Acebes, appears on our television
screens to announce five arrests in regard to the investigation on the
most terrifying attempt Spain has ever seen." This declaration, has
been issued, said the newspaper, in a climate of general doubt and
suspicion as to the information distilled by the Spanish government a
few hours before the elections."
In Madrid, said this newspaper, hundreds of people gathered late on
Saturday "opposite the headquarters of the Popular Party in power
to demand the whole truth on the Spanish September 11th." Even at
midnight, several thousands remain. "We want the truth before we
vote" protest the demonstrators. "Guilty Aznar, you are
responsible!" (AFP). Over 4,000 have been at the Puerta del Sol,
one of Madrid's largest parks: "Resign, resign!" they shout at
Aznar. "Ha muerto gente obrera por culpa de tu guerra!"
(Workers died because of your war!") and "Las bombas de Iraq
estallan en Madrid!" (Iraqi bombs explode in Madrid!") (AFP)
In Washington, several hours before his defeat, Colin Powell
congratulates José María Aznar the 'faithful friend'. Why?
The International Herald Tribune replies: "To defend the
decision to invade Iraq, the first anniversary of which will take place
this Saturday." Powell drives the nail in further: "The Prime
Minister of Spain, Aznar, didn't shirk his responsibilities, and I hope
other leaders will not back down on theirs."
-----
Fourth Day, Sunday, March 14th:
Paris, Sunday morning: Sunday's Le Journal still believes in
Aznar's victory: "The drama of March 11 probably won't deprive the
Spanish right of its victory. But Š, its successor Mariano Rajoy, will
have to assume an inheritance, which he might well have avoidedŠ.
In Madrid, "Aznar votes in a charged atmosphere," noted the
AFP (March 14). The Spanish Prime Minister has been "booed by
demonstrators accusing him of the massacre." As he exited, Aznar
attempted to make a statement, which was inaudible due to the
demonstrators' shouts, "Manipulators!" and they waved placards
and sported badges with "Peace!"
A woman harangues the Prime Minister on television: "Aznar, you
lie, we want to know!"
The journalist comments: "The anger mounts: The government's
insistence in making ETA responsible is regarded as an insult. For those
that are here: Aznar who dragged the country followed Bush into the Iraq
war "is guilty and responsible!" The crowds shout their
indignation and their rejection of manipulation.
Images of the demonstrations in the Basque country: "Popular Party,
criminal party!" One woman: "They forced us into a war we
didn't want. This is the result!"
The journalist comments: "For once, Basques and Spaniards are in
agreement."
At midday, the rate of voter participation is 5 points higher than at
the previous legislative election in 2000.
"I've never seen this!" noted a young electrician leaving the
voting booth in Madrid, this mobilization favors the PSOE because this
attack is the consequence of the Aznar/Bush alliance."
At 7 p.m. as the polls are getting ready to close the radio announces a
rate of participation 8% higher than in the 2000 elections.
On French television, some moments before the first results are
announced, France 2 dedicates its 7-8 p.m. slot to Spain. "Since
this evening, the Secretary of the Interior's embarrassment was clearly
visible in successive communiqués, a commentator declared. The
following day, Saturday, everyone began speaking of manipulation. The
arrests provoked an increasing uneasiness in the population, the feeling
of having been manipulated, to pay today the price of a war they had not
wanted."
Television reports supports this revelation, with images taken on the
eve of the demonstration in Bilbao. A woman declared in regards to the
Aznar government's manipulations: " It is a coup d'état! Not a
military coup but an information coup!"
"The PP lied to us, it manipulated information."
The journalist comments: " Aznar could be sanctioned for
involvement in the Iraq war, to which the majority of the population was
opposed." He recalled that "over 4 million people demonstrated
in Spain one month before the entry into war."
Television shows more scenes of the Saturday demonstrations: Photos of
the placards carried by the demonstrators: "Peace!" One woman,
"The war is responsible!"
The journalist comments: "Saturday, everything has changed
radically."
8 p.m. first evaluations offered on One and A2: "The PP could carry
the election, even without a majority."
At 8.10 p.m. on the same networks, a bell rings: "Small advance by
the PS."
At 11 p.m. the same announce: "The Popular Party was beaten!
-----
Over the next few days:
"A sudden turn of events!" -- "Shock wave" --
these are the titles that appear in the newspapers., For them the voters
are never more than numbers at the polls." Surprise. The immense
crowds that gathered on Thursday, Friday, by the millions in the streets
of Madrid, Barcelona, Pamplona, BilbaoŠ going from anguish to doubt,
seized the PSOE vote to put down not only lies, but the war, the
politics of privatization, the destruction of jobs and the social
regression espoused over eight years by Aznar under the baton of the
European Union.
"It is a vote against the Aznar government as well as against his
disastrous management of the Thursday massacre and his second mandate in
general, 2000-2004," stated Ignacio Sanchez-Cuenca, analyst of the
Institute of Social Studies in Madrid. These four years marked the
setting in action of the entire panoply of measures dictated by Brussels
Commission of the EU.
The Guardian editorial (March 15) sees "more than a Spanish
event."
The International Herald Tribune: "The voters remodeled
Spanish politics after the terrorist attacks: the socialists prevailed
on the basis of a massive rejection of the Aznar party . Š Before the
attacks, the Popular Party had a short lead over the opposition. But the
political confrontations increased and the government's response
provoked the anger of demonstrators on Saturday evening. Many voters
expressed their anger at the government accused of its support for the
war in Iraq.’
"The defeat of the Popular Party in the general elections in Spain
constitutes a hard blow for President George W. Bush, deprived of his
principal European Union ally in the war in Iraq," (AFP March 15).
"The Bush government is going to fight against the perception, true
or false, that attempts against U.S. allies can make countries wonder if
it is wise to maintain such close ties with Mr. Bush," noted The
New York Times (March 15).
"Sunday evening, those responsible for the Bush government,
searched for a way to hide their disappointment. But the president's
entourage knows that Mr. Zapatero built his victory denouncing Bush's
world approach and that he promised to repatriate the 1,300 Spanish
soldiers in Iraq as of next July," continued the NY Times.
The Washington Post (March 15) stated: "By voting against the
party of Prime Minister José María Aznar, Spaniards apparently judged
that the unconditional support of the Iraq war driven by the Americans
caused the 200 deaths on Thursday in Madrid."
"The defeat of the Popular Party deprives the Bush administration
of one of its strongest allies in Europe," added this newspaper.
"The victory of the Spanish Socialists constitutes a striking
punishment for the policies of President Bush Š reshaping the Near
East," wrote the Wall Street Journal (March 15).
In Madrid, at midday on Monday, the future head of the Spanish
government, José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero, declared: "The Spanish
people voted for a government of change and he announced," the
recall of the 1,300 Spanish soldiers stationed in Iraq since the summer
of 2003, after the installation of the new congressmen." (AFP,
March 15). "The war in Iraq was a disaster," he added.
"The occupation is a disaster."
(1) Carod, Secretary of the Republic Left of Catalonia, who extols the
political negotiation with ETA. Ibarretxe, President of the Basque
regional government, directing the Basque Nationalist Party.
*******************
The Francoists Have Been Defeated!
The Majority of the People Demand Change, They Want Democracy
It is the Responsibility of the PSOE to Form a Government
That Puts an End to the Legacy of Aznar
For the peoples of Spain, one more time, everything is possible. It
is the responsiblity of the Socialist Party, or PSOE, to form a
government that will put an end to legacy and policies of the Popular
Party (PP) of Aznar.
At this time, the first of questions, is to organize solidarity with the
victims of the heinous bomb blasts in Madrid on March 11 that left 200
dead and 1400 severely injured, 400 of whom remain hospitalized. It is
time to support the families, friends and co-workers of these victims
and to support those injured.
The workers, the youth and the peoples of the Spanish State have
mobilized massively at the ballot box to put an end to the government of
the Popular Party (PP).
This electoral mobilization marks the continuation of the general strike
of June 20 and the massive protest actions against the LOU [Ley Orgánica
de la Universidad -- a privatization attempt of Spanish
universities-ed.] and against the disaster of the massive oil spill off
the coast of Spain. It marks the continuation of the immense movement
for democracy and against the war.
It is the expression of the desire to put an end to the Francoists of
the PP who have poisoned the political life of the country, who have at
every opportunity sought confrontation with the peoples, who lied about
weapons of mass destruction in order to enter the war, against the will
of the immense majority of the people, and who have tried to lie and
manipulate the victims of the massacre of Madrid to serve their
electoral ends. Today the Francoists have been defeated.
This immense social and electoral mobilization seeks to win the demands
long enied by the PP government. It cannot and must not be betrayed.
The labor and popular vote has given the Socialist Party (PSOE) 164
deputies, enough of a majority to govern, keeping in mind the existence
of deputies of the IU [United Left], ERC {Catalan Left], CHA {Aragon
Nationalists], and the BNG [Galicia Nationalists]. ... The leaders of
the PSOE have a responsibility to put an end to the PP policies against
the workers and the peoples.
We should also not forget that the apparatus of the state inherited from
Francoism (the judges, the civil guard, the police, the army, the
bishops ...) are ready to pressure Zapatero to betray the hopes of
working people and to have him govern for them instead.
Moreover, in spite of the fact the PSOE obtained 1 million more votes
than the PP, the PP maintains a majority in the Senate, with 102
senators, almost an absolute majority, compared to 81 for the PSOE. This
demonstrates the antidemocratic character of the institutions of the
1978 Constitution, and opens up the possibility of a boycott by the
right-wing Francoists of the PSOE government.
To fulfill the popular demands, the government of the Socialist Party
will also have to overcome the interference of the international
institutions of capital, beginning with the European Central Bank, the
European Commission, and NATO.
Since the possibility of a victory of this traditional workers' party
became evident, demands have been heard that Zapatero govern in
consensus with the PP. The capitalists and their supporters who have
taken advantage of the eight years of the Aznar government now seek to
tie the hands of Zapatero and the Socialist Party with a call for
consensus, so that nothing changes. They use the question of terrorism
in particular to wield this pressure and to deny democracy, which
demands that the popular will must prevail and become law.
The workers, the youth and all of the peoples of Spain await the
formation of a government that will put an end to the rotten inheritance
of Aznar. They have placed their hopes in the PSOE to form this
government. They hope for a government of the PSOE, that will, with the
support of groups on the left and other organizations that express the
democratic aspirations of the people, immediately get to work on
building a future of peace, democracy and the fraternity of free
peoples, as well as the social and political change that the immense
majority of the people demands.
The government that the social majority demands should break completely
with the politics of Aznar, and first and foremost, with its support for
Bush's and "anti-terrorist" policies of confrontation with the
peoples. There can be no continuity with these policies in any sense, in
any aspect. The PSOE government must demand responsibility and
accountability from the Aznar government for its direct role in the oil
spill catastrophe of Prestige, in the war and in the manipulation of the
recent attacks.
The majority hopes that the Socialist Party will form a government
with a clear commitment to advancing step by step towards a solution to
these immediate needs:
- The truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth on the
massacre of Madrid.
- Immediate and unconditional withdrawal of the Spanish troops
from Iraq.
- An end to the waves of layoffs and company closings
- An end to the confrontation. Withdrawal of the prosecution of
the Basque Parliament.
- A dialogue without preconditions to reestablish fraternity
among the peoples.
[excerpts from the declaration of the International Socialist
Workers Party (POSI), member of the ILC and section of the 4th
International]
********************
INTERNATIONAL CAMPAIGN AGAINST THE OCCUPATION
AND FOR LABOUR RIGHTS IN IRAQ
REPORT ON THE DELEGATION TO THE ILO
OFFICE IN GENEVA
(March 15, 2004)
PRESENTATION
Dear Sister and Brother Trade Unionists Around the World:
On March 15, 2004, an international delegation of representatives from
US Labor Against the War (USLAW), the International Confederation of
Arab Trade Unions (ICATU), the International Liaison Committee of
Workers and Peoples (ILC), the Federation of Workers Committees and
Trade Unions in Iraq (FWCUI), and the Unemployed Union in Iraq (UUI)
went to the International Labour Organisation (ILO) office in Geneva.
All these organisations are participating in the International Campaign
Against the Occupation and for Labour Rights in Iraq.
The delegation was composed of Gene Bruskin, co-convenor, US Labor
Against War (USA); Daniel Gluckstein, Coordinator, International Liaison
Committee of Workers and Peoples (ILC); Falah Alawn, President,
Federation of Workers Councils and Trade Unions in Iraq (FWCUI); Khadije
El Husaini, International Confederation of Arab Trade Unions (ICATU);
Aso Jabbar, Union of Unemployed in Iraq (UUI); Olivier Doriane,
International Liaison Committee (ILC), France; Jean-Pierre Barrois,
Member of the delegation that went to Iraq in October 2003, (France);
Max Robert, Hosting committee for the conferences in defence of ILO
conventions (Switzerland).
They went to the ILO office, where they delivered a Memorandum with
adjoined documents. After this meeting, they adopted an international
appeal which they submit along with the Memorandum to the whole of the
international labour movement.
********************
MEMORANDUM
submitted by the delegation of the International Campaign
Against the Occupation and for Labour Rights in Iraq
to the International Labour Organisation (ILO) on March 15, 2004
The delegation that presents this memorandum to the Workers Group of
the International Labour Organisation (ILO) represents the
"International Campaign Against the Occupation and for Labor Rights
in Iraq."
This campaign was launched at an international meeting in defence of ILO
conventions, in June 2003, by US Labor Against the War (USLAW), the
International Confederation of Arab Trade Unions (ICATU), and the
International Liaison Committee of Workers and Peoples (ILC).
We have been opposed to the war and remain opposed to the war and to the
U.S.-led occupation of Iraq. On behalf of democracy, we decided last
June to launch a global campaign for the recognition of labour rights in
Iraq. This is the purpose of the memorandum we are presenting to the ILO
today, March 15, 2004.
* Considering that the reconstruction of Iraq and the introduction of
democratic self-rule will only succeed if the Iraqi people themselves
exercise their sovereignty to develop the reconstruction process as they
see fit;
* Considering that this is especially true with regard to Iraq's
workers, most of whom are currently unemployed and who fear that their
economic well-being has been taken out of their control and in fact
depends on the occupying forces;
* Considering that it is the people of Iraq themselves who must be in
charge of drafting their own Constitution and their own laws, including
their own labour law and the dispositions providing for the right to
unemployment benefits;
* Considering that the Iraqi workers fear that the decisions made by the
occupying forces, particularly in the economic field with the
privatisation, would continue the plundering of the Iraqi resources by
the multinational corporations;
* Considering that it is the Iraqi workers with their duly elected
representatives who should formulate their demands towards the
elaboration of a labour law, which can only be written in Iraq by the
Iraqi workers themselves;
* Considering that at the last annual ILO assembly, in June 2003, the
ILO Workers Group adopted a statement which says :
"The Workers Group believes that in the rehabilitation exercise,
support must be provided for all the people of Iraq, especially the
poor, the disabled, and vulnerable groups. The Group calls for the
immediate resumption of work for all Iraqi workers, with due protection
for their wages. It also demands that the oil resources of Iraq be used
solely by the people of Iraq and exclusively for their benefit.
"In the new Iraq, there must be, consistent with ILO standards,
full freedom of association, guaranteeing the Iraqi workers the right to
organise and to bargain collectively; there must be democracy with full
civil liberties, permitting trade unions to choose their own leadership
independently and without interference; there must be the right to
self-determination by the Iraqi people."
* Considering that none of the demands of the Workers Group expressed in
June 2003 have been fulfilled;
* Considering that the Conventions of the ILO and more specifically
Conventions 87 and 98 providing for the right to organise and join the
union of one's own choosing, the right to bargain collectively, have
been ignored and therefore should be enforced for all the workers in
Iraq as well as all over the world;
* Considering that it is in the interest of the workers all over the
world and the workers in Iraq to exert mutual solidarity;
* Considering that the war and occupation of Iraq have resulted in
extremely hazardous working conditions in Iraq and the widespread
violation of internationally recognised Convention 138 against child
labour;
We present a series of documents containing:
- The documents that were collected by the international independent
delegation which travelled in occupied Iraq in October 2003. These
documents were collected by the international delegation and circulated
to the international labour movement -- in particular in the United
States, where they were presented at a national assembly organised by
USLAW in October 2003 and also at the AFL-CIO headquarters in February
2004.
- The documents of the Union of the Unemployed in Iraq (UUI) and of the
Federation of Workers Councils and Trade Unions in Iraq (FWCUI). These
documents were presented to the regional representative of the ILO in
Beirut.
We also present the Draft Labour Law proposed by the Federation of
Workers Councils and Trade Unions in Iraq (FWCUI), as well as the report
"The corporate invasion of Iraq", which was compiled by USLAW
and which gives evidence that the multinational corporations operating
in Iraq violate labour rights as they violate other laws in the United
States.
Other documents which may have been collected by and which may be in the
possession of the ILO are also part of the documents we have submitted.
All these documents reveal the dreadful living conditions of the Iraqi
workers and establish that more than 70% of the workforce are
unemployed.
These documents give evidence that today the right to strike, the right
to affiliate to the union of one's own choosing, the right to negotiate
and the right to bargain collectively do not exist in Iraq.
These documents give evidence that organisations that were set up by the
Iraqi workers themselves are not recognised and that Iraqi workers have
been threatened and attacked for striking.
They give evidence that the shameful law passed by Saddam Hussein in
1987 banning the right to strike in all public enterprises has not been
repealed.
The facts clearly establish that ILO conventions 87 and 98 are not
respected: On January 27th, 2004, the occupying authorities decided to
give full recognition to one union federation with the Public order N°3,
therefore declaring or implying that the others are illegal.
We are asking the five following questions:
* Is it not a violation of Articles 1 & 2 of ILO Convention 87,
which stipulate respectively that "workers and employees without
any distinction have the right without prior authorisation to set up
organisations of their own choosing as well as the right to join these
organisations" (Article1) and "workers and employees
organisations have a right to elaborate their rule book and to elect
freely their representatives" (Article 2)?
* Is it not a violation of Article 3 of Convention 87, which stipulates
that, "public authorities must abstain from any interference, any
act restricting those rights or at preventing the legal exercise of
these rights"?
* Is it not a violation of Article 1 of Convention 98, which stipulates
that, "The organisations of workers and employees must be
adequately protected against any mutual interference when for instance
company managers threaten to dismiss workers for joining unions which
are considered illegal"?
* Is it not a violation of ILO Convention 87 when trade unionists are
sent to jail because of their activities and when their union offices
are invaded by the authorities?
* Is it not a violation of ILO Convention 98 when the authorities take
the right to decide which organisations should be recognised and so
doing choose who should be negotiating?
Being informed that the Ministry of Labour in Iraq signed a
"cooperative agreement" with the ILO, we request that these
documents be made public.
We are addressing the International Labour Office and its Workers Group
a demand formulated by the Iraqi workers and their trade unions in line
with the demands of the international labour movement requesting that
the ILO conduct a full investigation of the violations of ILO
Conventions 87 and 98 and the situation of the workers of Iraq so that
the full and documented report establishing all the facts be presented
to the delegates at the next yearly assembly of the ILO in June 2004.
We request that the ILO use all its authority and its prerogatives so as
to ensure that ILO Convention 87 and Convention 98 are fully enforced in
Iraq.
It is our intention to respect the prerogatives of all workers'
organisations in Iraq and all over the world and to support the rights
of workers in Iraq. We are not in competition with any organisation; the
aim of our campaign, in full respect of the prerogatives of each
organisation, is to provide a contribution to the struggle for workers'
rights in Iraq, which are part and parcel of democracy.
The delegation:
- Gene BRUSKIN, co-convenor, US Labor Against War (USA)
- Daniel GLUCKSTEIN, International coordinator of the International
Liaison Committee of Workers and Peoples
- Falah ALWAN, President of the Federation of Workers Councils and Trade
Unions in Iraq (FWCUI)
- Khadije EL HUSAINI, International Confederation of Arab Trade Unions (ICATU)
- Aso JABBAR, Union of Unemployed in Iraq (UUI)
- Olivier DORIANE, International Liaison Committee (ILC), France
Jean-Pierre BARROIS, Member of the delegation that went to Iraq in
October 2003, (France)
- Luis BLANCO, Trade union officer of the Federation of Steelworkers (FTMH)
(Switzerland)
- Luc DELEY, Hosting committee for the Conferences in Defence of ILO
conventions (Switzerland)
Max ROBERT, Hosting committee for the conferences in defence of ILO
conventions (Switzerland)
I endorse publicly this Memorandum
[ ] In my own capacity
[ ] In the name of my organisation
Name:
Address
City
State
Country
E- Mail
Telephone/Fax
Organisation:
Capacity:
[Your financial assistance is requested to help defray the outstanding
expenses of the international labor delegation to Iraq. Please make your
cheques in Euros payable to "CMO" and send them to Entente
International des Travailleurs, 87, Rue du Faubourg St. Denis, Paris
75010, France. All cheques in U.S. dollars should be made payable to
"OWC" and sent to OWC, c/o San Francisco Labor Council, 1188
Franklin St. #203, San Francisco, CA 94109.]
**********************
APPEAL from the Delegation
Today, March 15, 2004, an international delegation was received by
the ILO in Geneva, on the eve of the commemoration of the first bombings
of Iraq, which took place on March 20, 2003.
We call upon all the workers, all the organisations that opposed the
war:
We call upon all those who are going to participate in the
demonstrations of March 20, 2004, against the occupation of Iraq,
against war:
On March 15, we went to the ILO offices in Geneva to assert again our
total opposition to the war and occupation of Iraq, which are organised
under U.S. aegis. We asserted our commitment to the defence of nations'
and people's independence and sovereignty. We asserted our rejection of
the war and military occupations, which are putting in jeopardy the
unity and sovereignty of nations all over the world. We reject the big
powers' "broad regions framework" forced upon people to
destroy the unity and sovereignty of nations.
We have come to emphasise the need for the international labour movement
to take up the fight against the illegal and immoral occupation of Iraq.
Again we say what we have been constantly saying since we launched our
common campaign nine months ago: there can't be democracy in Iraq if the
people of Iraq cannot decide themselves the disposition of their
resources, their fate and their future -- and establish their own
control over their own economy, if the Iraqi workers are not free to set
up the organisations of their own choosing.
Our delegation was composed of Gene BRUSKIN, co-convenor, US Labor
Against War (USA); Daniel GLUCKSTEIN, International coordinator of the
International Liaison Committee of Workers and Peoples (ILC); Falah
ALWAN, President of the Federation of Workers Councils and Trade Unions
in Iraq (FWCUI); Khadije EL HUSAINI, International Confederation of Arab
Trade Unions (ICATU); Aso JABBAR, Union of Unemployed in Iraq (UUI);
Olivier DORIANE, International Liaison Committee (ILC), France;
Jean-Pierre BARROIS, Member of the delegation that went to Iraq in
October 2003, (France); Max ROBERT, Hosting committee for the
conferences in defence of ILO conventions (Switzerland).
The delegation delivered a memorandum to the ILO. After waging a
campaign in over 70 countries, we asked to be received by Mr. Juan
Somavia, director general of the ILO. We met Mr. Ahmed KHALEF and Mr.
Luc DESMARET, members of the activity bureau for the workers linked to
the ILO Workers Group. After they explained that they were receiving us
in their personal capacity, the delegation submitted its memorandum and
a debate that concerns the whole labour movement then began.
- To the question: "Could we expect a response from the Workers'
Group?", the answer was: "We cannot assure you that you will
get a response but as you referred to the Workers' Group statement, it
can be logically expected."
- To the question about the involvement of the ILO into the ongoing
process in Iraq, we were told: "As far as we know, the United
Nations has been taken out of the process, so has the ILO, which is a
subsidiary of the ILO".
- To the question about the existence of a document co-signed by the ILO
and the Iraqi Ministry for Labour, the answer was: "We are not
aware of such a document but if it does exist, you will be given a
copy".
- To the question about the re-admission of Iraq in the ILO to take
place next June, as announced by Mr. Paul Bremer's technical adviser,
the answer was : "We are not aware of such a plan".
- To the question: "What could be done to prevent that Iraq --
today -- perpetuates the system of official selection and recognition of
trade unions, excluding the right to organise in the union of one's own
choosing" , the answer referred to the ILO's mechanisms providing
for the possibility for any Iraqi union which considered that ILO
conventions are being violated, to lodge a complaint to the ILO trade
union freedom committee .
We call upon labour organisations the world over: Can a labour
organisation accept that Iraqi workers be excluded from the benefit of
universally acknowledged ILO Conventions?
Can a labour organisation accept that after a so-called "war for
democracy" -- organised in fact on the basis of State lies
concerning the alleged existence of weapons of mass destruction -- all
the measures taken by the former regime against workers and their trade
unions are perpetuated and enforced by the occupation authorities?
Is it possible to talk about sovereignty when the American commander in
chief of ground forces in Iraq, Ricardo Sanchez, announces publicly that
the coalition forces will stay in Iraq for at least one more year?
We call upon labour organisations the world over and ask them to join
our campaign for labour rights in Iraq. We call them to circulate as
widely as possible our Memorandum, especially on the occasion of the
March 20 initiatives and to endorse it. We call upon all to circulate it
widely in their own trade unions, in their factories, among workers.
We call upon labour organisations the world over to sponsor the new
delegation proposed by the trade union coalition against war in the
United States, USLAW, which plans to go to Iraq on May 1st.
Considering that in the next annual assembly of the ILO, the Iraqi issue
should be discussed, we call all the worker delegates at the ILO
assembly to support our Memorandum, and to intervene to obtain answers.
We will present in the name of our organisations a report on the
campaign for labour rights in Iraq to the 13th Conference for the
defence of ILO Conventions (Sunday 13th, June 2004) called by the
International Liaison Committee of Workers and Peoples.
We call on all the international labour movement to develop the struggle
against the occupation, to wage the struggle so that the Iraqi workers
can set up the unions of their own choosing.
Our initiative is not opposing or challenging any other initiative. We
are not in competition with any organisation; the aim of our campaign,
in full respect of the prerogatives of each organisation, is to provide
a contribution to the struggle for workers' rights in Iraq, which are
part and parcel of democracy.
********************
FOR PEACE, DEMOCRACY AND WORKERS' RIGHTS, FOR THE FREE AND DEMOCRATIC
UNION OF THE FREE NATIONS OF EUROPE.
Appeal for a European Conference in Geneva
The activists and the elected officials of the Swiss Socialist Party and
Trade Unionists address the activists and trade unionists of different
European countries
The European liaison bureau constituted at the time of the European
meeting "for peace, democracy and the workers' rights for the free
and democratic union of the free nations of Europe," met September
20 and 21 at the initiative of the ILC has just received from Luc Deley,
member of our liaison bureau, the appeal of activists and elected
officials of the Swiss Socialist Party, for a European conference
proposed by trade unionists.
The ILC responds positively to this appeal and invites members of the
European liaison bureau to reply, send their contributions, their ideas,
to make their initiatives known, to prepare this conference and choose
their delegates.
Activists and elected officials of the Swiss Socialist Party and trade
unionists, address ourselves to the activists and trade unionists of the
different European countries.
The following question applies to all our different countries: is it
possible to preserve the social state, the social gains, the public
services that were questioned by the bias of the different European
directives on liberalization and privatization? We often her that
Switzerland could be a unique in regard to a series of aspects. We
estimate on our part that the problems posed to the workers of our
country could interest the activists of Europe, whether their country is
a member of the European Union or not.
Without being a member of the Union, Switzerland is faced with tentative
liberalization and privatization of enterprises along the European plan.
We would like to communicate the most prominent facts and essential
questions the workers of our country face. Liberalizations regarding
electricity, telecommunications and the pension system, as well as the
fiscal packet, have led us, the Swiss Socialist Party (PS) and the
United Swiss Trade Union (US) to oppose these measures and mobilize
ourselves:
1. September 22, 2002. The Swiss people passed a referendum against the
LME, a law liberalizing the energy market voted by the Parliament. It is
thanks to the initiative of the PS and the US, that this referendum was
held. This vote prevented the privatization of this sector and
guaranteed the national supply of electricity.
Nowadays, the PS and the US, backed by the refusal expressed by 54% of
the population against the liberalization of the energy market, are
firmly against it in the face of a majority of experts who favor the
opening of the market. The PS said on January 24, 2004: "The total
opening of the energy market is not on our agenda, even though the
European Union thinks it will be a reality by the year 2007."
2. In the same manner, the PS and the US opposed the liberalization of
the final kilometer of Swisscom. An event that was successful.
3. The Swiss National Council (CTT) on transportation and
telecommunications has just rejected the liberalization of the last
kilometer of the telephone connection of Swisscom (it should take the
shape of a de-linking of the local tie of the national telephone grid).
This de-linking would mean the opening to private capital bidding of
Swisscom, the public operator. We hereby publish an excerpt from the
communiqué of the Socialist Party:
"The Commission of Transportation and Telecommunications (CTT) of
the National Council of the Swiss government today decided in Berne to
propose to the plenary not to pursue the matter of the revision of the
law on telecommunications (LCT). The PS applauds this vote. The PS had,
from the beginning of the discussions, distanced itself from the
proposals of the Federal Council rejecting the liberalization of the
final kilometer of connection. A new measure is to open to private
bidders of Swisscom giving direct access to the 4 million telephone
users of the historic operator that would mean a de facto expropriation.
For the PS the argument that the suppression of a monopoly doesn't hold
since Swisscom must already face competition from Cablecom. The
consequences of this de-linking could be dangerous: the mission of
universal public service conferred on Swisscom would be considerably
weakened by the massive increase of pressure in terms of costs that
would benefit its competitors. A concentration of capital investments
where the private clients are most numerous and to the detriment of the
less profitable peripheral regions would be the result (Š) The
maintenance of a universal public service that doesn't penalize certain
regions is in the interest of the country."
4. The 11th revision of the AVS, our state pension plan, voted by the
Parliament brought about a strong mobilization. A very important
demonstration took place in Berne on September 16, 2003 as called for by
the PS and the US. The PS and the US then called for a referendum
against the 11th revision of the AVS. 80,000 signatures (and more since)
were gathered in the record time of 48 hours. The vote on the 11th
revision of the law on state pension plan will take place on May 16, and
represents a major stake for our country, for which we are well
prepared.
5. On May 16 another important structural vote will take place on
budgetary politics and the report on charges to the cantons. The object
of this vote is called a "fiscal packet." This law project was
fought by the cantons. They, as our Constitution permits, deposited a
referendum, which they won. This is the first time since 1848 that the
cantons used this right.
Here are some of the elements that we submit for your reflection: As in
all countries this is a complex situation. We ask: why would it be
necessary to accept a decrease in our rights and protections? In this
regard the President of the PS declared that Switzerland was not a
member of the European Union and that it was not obliged to undergo all
its negative consequences
The USS made the following resolution: The European Union makes the
liberalization of public services and essential element of the single
market through the bias of its different directives. Instead of a
democratic piloting of the infrastructures, it is about letting the
strength of the market forces influence the decisionŠ.. Liberalizations
represent the forces that oppose a united, political and social Europe.
It wants to quickly open the telecommunications and energy markets, to
progressively suppress the services reserved to monopolies in the postal
area and to ensure access to the railway networks to third parties.
Socialist activists and trade unionists we are very attached to the
democratic character of our institutions and, in particular, to the
right to a popular referendum that allows the people to decide
sovereignty.
Thus we know that the liberalization of electricity has been applied in
other European countries, even though the population rejects it: indeed,
institutions and democratic rights comparable to ours, such as the right
to a referendum, are lacking and the sovereignties there are hindered by
supranational agreements.
Here is why we are so attached to the democratic character of our
institutions, to a democracy that permits us to take a stand, to fight
laws that appear to be damaging to us thanks to the right to a popular
referendum and to be able to propose legislative changes thanks to the
right of initiative.
We are deeply attached to our Constitution, whose bases were established
in 1848 and that permit the cantons, for example, to oppose the fiscal
packet.
Democracy is indissolubly bound to the preservation and development of
the social state. We know that any weakening of democracy, of the right
to exercise popular sovereignty, means the weakening of social rights.
We are deeply attached to democracy, to all social rights gained in our
country, and we are attached to the union between peoples and free
nations.
We decided to make this letter known in Switzerland and in other
European countries.
That is why, we address all activists, all trade unionists, all those
that whatever their ideas, are attached to the defense of social rights,
of public services, to democracy, to peace between peoples, to meet with
us at a European meeting in Geneva, Switzerland, April 24 and 25, 2004.
We were informed of the European meeting held in September 2003 in
Paris, in which some of us participated. This meeting initiated at the
June 15, 2003 meeting in Geneva "for the defense of the ILO
conventions and the independence of trade union organizations" held
on the initiative of the ILC. We transmit this document to the European
liaison office that was constituted there and ask them to make it known
to circulate it.
We have made you part of our experience, of our preoccupations.
We know they are diverse according to the country.
That is why we think it worthwhile to meet, to confront our experiences
and to search for answers together.
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