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<TITLE>[santeu] US raids on union offices in Iraq</TITLE>
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<DIV><FONT size=2>5 March statement of the International Federation of Chemical,
Energy, Mine </FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2>and General Workers' Unions (ICEM), condemning the military
raids on union<BR>offices in
Iraq<BR><BR>**************************************************************<BR><BR>Military
Raids, Arrest at Iraqi Union Office Demands Action<BR><BR>The International
Federation of Chemical, Energy, Mine and General<BR>Workers' Unions (ICEM), the
global union federation for oil workers, is<BR>calling for “strong condemnation”
of the two recent US and Iraqi<BR>military raids on union offices in Baghdad.
The raids, during which one<BR>worker was arrested, and computers and fax
machines at the central<BR>office of the General Federation of Iraqi Workers
(GFIW) confiscated,<BR>occurred on 23 and 25 February.<BR><BR>The ICEM, with
affiliates in 125 countries, is calling on trade unions<BR>worldwide to directly
protest this unprovoked attack on a trade union<BR>federation that stands for
nation building and bettering the living<BR>conditions inside Iraq.<BR><BR>ICEM
is calling on trade unions and others to write to Iraqi embassies<BR>in their
home countries, as well as to send messages of solidarity to<BR>GFIW leaders
that their efforts to build strong trade unions in Iraq<BR>will succeed and with
it, fair and just reconstruction for all Iraqi<BR>people.<BR><BR>Trade unions
are asked to register a protest with the Iraqi embassy or<BR>consulate in their
country by visiting:<BR><A
href="http://www.mofa.gov.iq/index.aspx">http://www.mofa.gov.iq/index.aspx</A>.
They are also being strongly urged to<BR>write GFIW leaders in Baghdad to tell
them they protest these forceful<BR>and menacing acts.<BR><BR>Messages can be
sent to these principal
addresses:<BR>abdullahmuhsin@iraqitradeunions.org<BR><<A
href="mailto:abdullahmuhsin@iraqitradeunions.org">mailto:abdullahmuhsin@iraqitradeunions.org</A>><BR>adnalsaffar@yahoo.com
<<A
href="mailto:adnalsaffar@yahoo.com">mailto:adnalsaffar@yahoo.com</A>><BR><BR>The
ICEM notes that the pair of raids on the GFIW offices represents<BR>disturbing
and counter-productive acts inside Iraq. On 19 February, a<BR>raid also occurred
at the offices of the Iraq Syndicate of Journalists,<BR>and American troops
confiscated computers and membership records.<BR><BR>“These attacks are a clear
violation of fundamental human and trade<BR>union rights,” wrote ICEM General
Secretary Manfred Warda to Iraq’s<BR>Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki. “They are
also a cynical attempt to not<BR>only harass the trade union movement of your
country, but to limit their<BR>ability to communicate with both their members
and their international<BR>contacts.<BR><BR>“This is appalling, particularly at
the present time. Genuine and<BR>democratic trade unions are a cornerstone of
democracy and at the same<BR>time are a force for reconciliation, peace and
stability in a society,”<BR>said Warda.<BR><BR></DIV></FONT>
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