MODEL TRADE UNION RESOLUTION ON IRAQI OIL UNIONS

Calling on all trade union activists world-wide, please try to get your local branches and ideally unions as a whole to adopt this model resolution and get involved in supporting the Iraqi Federation of Oil Unions. Just cut and paste the document below into a word file:

Fighting Privatisation of Iraq’s Oil

This branch/conference notes that:

Oil revenues constitute the major part of the Iraqi economy and that Iraq has the world’s third largest oil reserves. As such, control of the Iraqi economy will be in the hands of whoever controls oil production.

Production Sharing Agreements (PSAs) are being promoted within Iraq by the US government and by multi-national oil companies. PSAs last from around 25-40 years and effectively deliver to multi-nationals the benefits of privatisation without the political difficulties. The details of such agreements are usually kept secret and would prevent any future Iraqi government re-negotiating the terms of an agreement during the lifetime of the PSA.

According to the Platform report Crude Designs: The Rip-Off of Iraq's Oil Wealth published Autumn 2005, development of at least 64% of Iraq's oil reserves will be immutably allocated to foreign oil companies. The report also estimated that the cost to Iraq of the new oil contracts will be $74 to $194 billion more than leaving oil development in public hands, based on a conservative estimate of oil at $40 a barrel (at the end of 2005 the price of oil was $60 a barrel). These sums represent between two and seven times the 2005/2006 Iraqi state budget. PSA agreements over Iraqi oil would guarantee profits to foreign companies of 42% to 162% rate of return.

This branch/conference further notes that:

The Iraqi Federation of Oil Unions (IFOU), previously known as the General Union of Oil Employees, and the Southern Oil Company Union have played a significant role in hindering the plans of the multi-national oil companies in Iraq. The IFOU has no legal recognition from its government, taking its legitimacy from the rank and file and not from any government. The Iraqi Government has kept the Saddam era anti-union laws that only recognise one trade union federation. The Union is also completely independent – it is not linked to any political party or trade union federation in Iraq. So far it has succeeded in raising the wages of oil workers, kicked out Halliburton subsidiary KBR and shut down exports in strikes over pay and conditions.

This branch/conference believes that:

The oil workers' federation organises and mobilises workers, not just to secure their rights and win better terms and conditions, but also to fight the corporate seizure of Iraq’s oil. The struggles of the Iraqi oil workers unions against privatisation and foreign take-over of the industry are one of the most significant parts of the struggle to defend Iraq’s ability to control its own economy and therefore to determine its own future.

This branch/conference resolves to:

To invite a delegation from the IFOU to Britain with a view to identifying ways in which the union can most effectively support the development and strengthening of the union and its struggles against privatisation of Iraq’s oil. In particular we should aim to find ways of supporting the IFOU with:

IT and communications equipment
Anti-Privatisation conferences, mass meetings and seminars
Travel and trips throughout Iraq to carry on organising and consolidation of union networks
Publications and publicity
Translation costs for articles, documents and liaising with international trade unions, civil society and social movement contacts and allies
International visits