FWCUI – report, March- 2008

1 - Elections in ALSadeer Hotel

The workers elected their committee

The workers of AL-Sadeer Hotel in the capital Baghdad had elected their union in the hotel, in Thursday 3-1-2008. The elections took place in the hotel hall. The elections were supervised by a board of the Federation of workers Councils& Unions in Iraq, chaired, Mr. (recovered Madi) the Vice President and membership of each of (Muammar Majid) Mr. (Saad Shakir) and ( Maha Abd alilaa) Fifteen unionist to the leadership of the trade union of hotel been nominated.The election resulted as following:Mr. (Khalid Rashid) has won as a Committee chaired by obtaining a majority of votes, amounting to 44 votes Mr. (Ahmed Abdel-star) in second place followed by the (Sadeq Creative Ammar Kazem, Khalid Abdul Zahra, Ali Hashim, Jabbar Snead).

Muammar Majeed and Sa'ad Shaker observing the elections. The Hall of the hotel, where the elections been held.

2 – Demonstration of the electricity worker- Basra

Demonstrations and sit-ins of electricity workers in the Euphrates East, Basra and Kut

The electricity Workers in many locations had organized series of protest rallies, on Monday morning 4-2 - 2008 after giving a warning to the Ministry of electricity in case their demands were not met .

The workers in the electricity sector had compiled a petition including their demands and

threatened to organize Sit- in case of non-implementation of their demands, which focused on : •Fighting corruption in the organs of the Ministry of Electricity

•Establish power stations to provide electricity throughout the country •Build homes or buildings housing for workers electricity sector .

•To pay compensation on the basis of risk as a 75% percent of the salary •Changing the employing system of the daily workers wages to the workers labor contracts

•Appointment System contract workers working on the permanent staffing When the ministry did not respond to the workers' demands, thousands of workers from Basra, Musayyib and Hilla and Kut, started their sit in, which appealed by the union of the engineering jobs & technicians with FWCUI, Which is widely participated in demonstrations in Basra and Masayab where collected Electricity Workers Union.

5-2-2008

The Demonstrations of the Electricity workers in Basra

Haydar Abd alilaah, one of FWCUI leaders talking to the media during the demonstration- Basra.

3 – Sit- in of Ur enterprises in Nasiriyah

The workers of UR complex of enterprises which contains about 7100 workers, includes textile aluminum, cables, had held sit- in calling for their demands.This sit-in is one of series of sit-ins organized by the workers of the Ministry of Industry in order to pressure the Government to achieve their demands, this demands were proclaimed in a statement prepared for this purpose as outlined demands including the following:-1 - Abolition of self-financing, adopting the central funding. 2 - Abolition Act four categories of salaries, that applicable to employees of the Ministry of Industry and other ministries. 3 - Adoption of the freedom of trade union work and the repeal of a law No. 150 of 1987. 4 – modernizing of the power stations, replacement of old lines.

Delegation of FWCUI Branch- Nasiriyah, led by Ahmed Salim and Haqi Kareem, had participated in the protest, confirming that FWCUI standing in the forefront struggling to achieve the demands of the workers.

Ahmed Salim, talking to the workers During the demonstration

Sight of the gathering of Textile workers, in Nasirya

4 – Demonstration of the workers of Musayyib

workers in Musayyib thermal power station declare Comprehensive strike

Nearly a thousand employees of the thermal power station in Musayyib on 4/2/2008 had held their sit-in as a part of the electricity sector general sit-in, the sit in was organized by the workers in the engineering services, and FWCUI.

The employees of the station gathered, in front of the main entrance of the station in 4-2-2008 morning, lasted until midday, a delegation composed of officials in the Electricity Sector / Euphrates East region, visited the workers in the sit in, for the purpose of negotiation and consultation with the leaders of the strike, there were also a number of television channels covering the events.

A number of immediate and prompt demands of the electricity sector workers, submitted as a petition to the minister of electricity with a period not exceeding a week, but this was not taken seriously by the Minister of Electricity, and been overlooked. Thus the workers leaders called for Comprehensive sit-in on 4/2/2008, which included all producing units and distribution of electricity in the Euphrates East and the Southern Electricity (Nasiriyah governorate & Basra governorate), A statement was issued by the unions in the electricity sector, including a number of demands: 1. Restart the stalled power stations for unknown reasons and provide spare parts materials for re-operation. 2. Elimination of administrative corruption, that rampant in the general institutions of the electricity sectors. 3. Speed up the housing of workers in the electricity sector. 4. To pay compensation and 75% settled by the Ministry of Finance since the month of October 2007 and reconsider the safety payments.

Naim Musa, the leader of the union workers in Musayyib thermal power station,

Leading the demonstration.

Sight of the demonstration of the electricity workers in Musayab.

Media Center, FWCUIMarch, 2008