The Iraqi teachers Union (ITU) held its second national protest on 28 March 2009 with over 500 protesters. The ITU protest attracted Iraqi media, and support from Iraqi trade unions and civil society organisations such as the Association of Political Prisoners (victims of former regime).

*Support civil society organisations. Allow them to do their job to strength democracy.

The ITU (please see statement below) is struggling along side the people of Iraq and other Iraqi sister unions to consolidate the principles foundation of democratic culture and thus is working to galvanizing and shape Iraqi public opinion against any breach or deviation from the Iraqi constitution and the rule of law. The union will stand firm against all attempts to turn the unions into tools in the hands of the executive and the ruling political power which are inspired from the culture of authoritarian regime that is still rooted in the heart and mind of the ‘champions’ of the current crisis facing the ITU. 

The protest generated Iraqi media interests and thus leaders of the ITU inside and outside Iraq conducted several interviews about the current ITU issues with the Iraqi government.

Al Hura satellite station held a round table news discussion over this. Al Uhra is a major satellite station. Labourstart led a global campaign in support of the ITU. At the TUC march on  28 March 2009 Power to the People, the ITU representative in the UK was interviewed by Education International.

Dave Prentis, the General Secretary of Unison, the British largest Public service union sent a letter of support to the ITU protest and read to colleagues in Baghdad (see letter below). The Trade Union Congress (TUC) General Secretary has written to the Deputy Prime Minister Dr Al Issawi calling on this government to drop the threats against the ITU and asked to push for the enactment of a national labour law that allows unions in Iraq to operate independently and democratically ( please see statement at http://www.tuc.org.uk/international/tuc-16195-fo,cfm  

    
The ITU will meet the Minister for Civil Society Organisations Dr Thamer Jaffer to discuss the current issue. The ITU is waiting for a formal invitation from him. It is worth to note here that Minister Dr Jaffer, the Minister for Civil society Organizations is the person who manufactured this problem in the first place.

Abdullah Muhsin

GFIW

ITU Representative in the UK.

Statement by the ITU

Our great people ...
Colleagues, teachers..
Federations and trade unions in our beloved Iraq..

At this stage, the ITU struggle along side the people of Iraq to consolidate the principles foundation of the democratic culture and practice in our beloved country. But the Iraqi political arena is experiencing a sense of confusion and deviation from the Iraqi constitution. The ITU is determined to continue with the task in galvanizing teachers, other trade unions federations and our society to shape public opinion that will stand as a wall against any breach or deviation from the Constitution and rule of the law, by the government of Iraq. The concept of the principle of separation of powers is facing blatant violations by the Iraqi executive as it is trying to swallow the legislative power. The current executive authority is moving to swallow up all civil society organizations and thus turning them into fronts for the executive and the ruling political power.

And today the Iraqi government and through its Ministerial Committee responsible for Governing Council decision No. (3), trying to swallow the unions in Iraq thereby flouting the constitutional principles and norms of democracy, and even violating the Governing Council decision No 3 despite the controversy and debate about its legitimacy.   
 The ITU view is that we must use this opportunity to galvanize our society against all these anti democratic cultural which is derived from a culture of authoritarian dictatorship that is unfortunately still rooted in the hearts of the champions the current crisis.

Most of the current Iraqi political parties are the product of the new Iraq but unfortunately their internal structure and their literature still fixed in the culture of different types of dictatorship (some still believe in the politics of the sole leader). The plunder of Iraqi wealth and the waste of public funds and the imposition of sectarian and ethnic polity are one aspect and product of a culture of dictatorship that still has root in thinking of the new Iraq. 

Therefore the ITU appeal to the Iraqi people, Iraqi writers, and intellectuals and fraternal teachers trade unions around the world to unite in supporting the Iraqi trade unions movement. The ITU will use all available peaceful and democratic rights enshrined in the constitution to correct the current political stand with Iraqi authority and thus minimize the deviation from our constitution leading to a democratic culture in order to establish culture of accountability and control and the right to peaceful opposition, under the rule of law and justice.

The Iraqi Teachers Union

Baghdad

28 March 2008