Resisting privatisation in Iraq

international | worker & community struggles and protests | press release Saturday April 23, 2005 15:56 by Loukas - Corporate Watch www.iraqoccupationfocus.org

Conference, Basra, Iraq, May, 2005

You are invited to take part in a conference organised by the General Union of Oil Employees in Basra. Please take part by attending in person, or submitting stories and/or messages of solidarity

Resisting privatisation in Iraq
Conference: May 2005, Basra, Iraq

Invitation to submit reports, presentations, messages of solidarity

You are invited to take part in a conference organised by the General Union of Oil Employees in Basra. The GUOE is an independent trade union representing 23,000 workers in 10 union councils in the oil sector in Basra, Amara and Nassiriyah. Please take part by attending in person, or submitting stories and/or messages of solidarity, via the contact at the bottom of the page.

The GUOE was founded a month after the beginning of the occupation in
the Southern Oil Company in Basra. The Union is opposed to the privatisation of Iraq’s oil sector and resources and is committed to co-operating with all progressive anti-occupation and anti-war forces which can help the Union combat the privatisation agenda.

The conference will last three days and will take place in the last week of May. The goal of the conference is to educate not just workers in the oil sector but all workers, trade unionists and interested citizens who want to learn more about the realities of privatisation and devise strategies to combat it. The conference also hopes to engage a wider section of Iraq’s society in generating the potential for transparent mass participation in organising the new Iraqi economy.

We would like presentations on the experience and understanding of privatisation and the struggle against it – in your own context. We are also calling for written articles and messages oif support from those who cannot attend. If they could be translated into Arabic for us, this would be a great help but it is not essential.

The GUOE will take responsibility for the security will source safe accommodation for those who attend, but all other expenses must be covered by yourselves.

If at all possible we would also appreciate financial donations to help with paying for the conference and follow-up organising afterwards.

Full details of the conference agenda and logistics will be provided shortly.

In solidarity

Ewa Jasiewicz,
UK Contact for the General Union of Oil Employees
freelance@mailworks.org

UK Mobile 0044 7749 421 576
Polish Mobile (Until May 14th) 0048 887 326 941