Iraqi Oil Workers Tell Chevron "Hands Off Iraq"
In a letter to Chevron executives and shareholders (and to ExxonMobil, who meet the same day), Iraqi Oil Workers Unions call on Chevron to end the occupation and stop pushing for the Iraq Oil [Theft] Law. This message will be delivered by antiwar, environmenta, and labor organizers as a protest converges on Chevrons annual shareholder meeting. Their message is below. This event will be on Wednesday May 28, at 7am at Chevrons Corporate headquarters in San Ramon. For more information, see: bayareadirectaction.wordpress.com/2...n/
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To: The Shareholders of ExxonMobil and Chevron Corporations and All Peace Loving People of the World
From: Hassan Juma’a Awad, President, Iraqi Federation of Oil Unions (IFOU)
We call upon the governments, corporations and other institutions behind the ongoing occupation of Iraq to respond to our demands for real democracy, true sovereignty and self-determination, free of all foreign interference.
Five years of invasion, war and occupation have brought nothing but death, destruction, misery and suffering to our people. In the name of our “liberation,” more than a million of our citizens have been killed or wounded, our nation’s schools, hospitals and other infrastructure have been destroyed, our neighbourhoods have been bombed, our homes have been broken into, our children have been traumatized, many of our family members and neighbours have been assaulted and arrested, our national treasures have been looted, and nearly twenty percent of our people have been turned into refugees.
The continued occupation fuels the violence in Iraq rather than alleviating it. The occupation has helped to foment and then exploit sectarian divisions and terror attacks where there had been none.
The Ba’athist legislation of 1987, which banned trade unions in the public sector and public enterprises (80% of all workers), is still in effect and continues to be enforced against us. Our union offices have been raided. Union property has been seized and destroyed. Our bank accounts have been frozen. Our leaders have been beaten, arrested, abducted and assassinated. Our rights as workers are routinely violated. This is an attack on our rights and the basic precepts of a democratic society. It is a grim reminder of the shadow of dictatorship still stalking our country.
We call upon you and all the world’s peace-loving peoples to help us to end the nightmare of occupation and restore our sovereignty and national independence so that we can chart our own course to the future.
1) We demand an immediate withdrawal of all foreign troops from our country, and utterly reject the agreement being negotiated with the USA for long-term bases and a military presence. Iraq must be returned to full sovereignty.
2) We demand the passage of a labour law promised by our Constitution, that adheres to ILO principles to protect the rights of workers to organize, bargain and strike, independent of state control and interference and on which Iraqi trade unionists have been fully consulted.
3) We demand an end to meddling in our sovereign economic affairs by the International Monetary Fund, the USA and UK, and multinational energy corporations, and recognition that no major economic decisions concerning our services and resources can be made while foreign troops occupy our country.
4) We demand that the US government, oil companies and others immediately cease lobbying for the oil law which would fracture the country and hand control over our oil to multinational companies like ExxonMobil and Chevron. We demand that all oil companies be prevented from entering into any long-term agreement concerning oil while Iraq remains occupied. The Iraqi government must tear up the current draft of the oil law, and begin to develop a legitimate oil policy based on full and genuine consultation with the Iraqi people. Only after all occupation forces are gone should a long term plan for the development of our oil resources be adopted.
We seek your support and solidarity to help us end the military and economic occupation of our country.
We look forward to the day when we have a world based on co-operation and solidarity.
We look forward to a world free from war, sectarianism, competition and exploitation.
******************
Also See:
Take the Profit Out of Global Warming and War, Nationalize the Oil Industry
www.indybay.org/newsitems/...8501994.php
Clinton and Obama: Failures on War and Global Warming
www.indybay.org/newsitems/...8478172.php
Join the Cool Earth Party
tribes.tribe.net/coolearth
Distributed by Liberation News, Subscribe Free:
lists.riseup.net/www/info/...ation_news
In a letter to Chevron executives and shareholders (and to ExxonMobil, who meet the same day), Iraqi Oil Workers Unions call on Chevron to end the occupation and stop pushing for the Iraq Oil [Theft] Law. This message will be delivered by antiwar, environmenta, and labor organizers as a protest converges on Chevrons annual shareholder meeting. Their message is below. This event will be on Wednesday May 28, at 7am at Chevrons Corporate headquarters in San Ramon. For more information, see: bayareadirectaction.wordpress.com/2...n/
******************
To: The Shareholders of ExxonMobil and Chevron Corporations and All Peace Loving People of the World
From: Hassan Juma’a Awad, President, Iraqi Federation of Oil Unions (IFOU)
We call upon the governments, corporations and other institutions behind the ongoing occupation of Iraq to respond to our demands for real democracy, true sovereignty and self-determination, free of all foreign interference.
Five years of invasion, war and occupation have brought nothing but death, destruction, misery and suffering to our people. In the name of our “liberation,” more than a million of our citizens have been killed or wounded, our nation’s schools, hospitals and other infrastructure have been destroyed, our neighbourhoods have been bombed, our homes have been broken into, our children have been traumatized, many of our family members and neighbours have been assaulted and arrested, our national treasures have been looted, and nearly twenty percent of our people have been turned into refugees.
The continued occupation fuels the violence in Iraq rather than alleviating it. The occupation has helped to foment and then exploit sectarian divisions and terror attacks where there had been none.
The Ba’athist legislation of 1987, which banned trade unions in the public sector and public enterprises (80% of all workers), is still in effect and continues to be enforced against us. Our union offices have been raided. Union property has been seized and destroyed. Our bank accounts have been frozen. Our leaders have been beaten, arrested, abducted and assassinated. Our rights as workers are routinely violated. This is an attack on our rights and the basic precepts of a democratic society. It is a grim reminder of the shadow of dictatorship still stalking our country.
We call upon you and all the world’s peace-loving peoples to help us to end the nightmare of occupation and restore our sovereignty and national independence so that we can chart our own course to the future.
1) We demand an immediate withdrawal of all foreign troops from our country, and utterly reject the agreement being negotiated with the USA for long-term bases and a military presence. Iraq must be returned to full sovereignty.
2) We demand the passage of a labour law promised by our Constitution, that adheres to ILO principles to protect the rights of workers to organize, bargain and strike, independent of state control and interference and on which Iraqi trade unionists have been fully consulted.
3) We demand an end to meddling in our sovereign economic affairs by the International Monetary Fund, the USA and UK, and multinational energy corporations, and recognition that no major economic decisions concerning our services and resources can be made while foreign troops occupy our country.
4) We demand that the US government, oil companies and others immediately cease lobbying for the oil law which would fracture the country and hand control over our oil to multinational companies like ExxonMobil and Chevron. We demand that all oil companies be prevented from entering into any long-term agreement concerning oil while Iraq remains occupied. The Iraqi government must tear up the current draft of the oil law, and begin to develop a legitimate oil policy based on full and genuine consultation with the Iraqi people. Only after all occupation forces are gone should a long term plan for the development of our oil resources be adopted.
We seek your support and solidarity to help us end the military and economic occupation of our country.
We look forward to the day when we have a world based on co-operation and solidarity.
We look forward to a world free from war, sectarianism, competition and exploitation.
******************
Also See:
Take the Profit Out of Global Warming and War, Nationalize the Oil Industry
www.indybay.org/newsitems/...8501994.php
Clinton and Obama: Failures on War and Global Warming
www.indybay.org/newsitems/...8478172.php
Join the Cool Earth Party
tribes.tribe.net/coolearth
Distributed by Liberation News, Subscribe Free:
lists.riseup.net/www/info/...ation_news
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SF Bay Area
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Re: Iraqi Oil Workers Tell Chevron "Hands Off Iraq"
Wed, May 28, 2008 - 2:53 PMIn many way those oil-workers have much to fear, from both Oil Companies and the US puppet regime that supports their interests... -
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Re: Iraqi Oil Workers Tell Chevron "Hands Off Iraq"
Wed, May 28, 2008 - 8:04 PMWorkers having courage is a good sign of change. I'm seeing evidence that a deep change is happening. People are ticked enough to put something on the line. Example: dock workers in South Africa refusing an arms shipment bound for Robert Mugabe's Zimbabwe. Then the May 1st direct action by dockworkers on the West Coast of North America to protest the war. Now oil workers in Iraq are standing up to be counted. Is the tipping point close? -
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Re: Iraqi Oil Workers Tell Chevron "Hands Off Iraq"
Wed, May 28, 2008 - 8:28 PMIt is a good sign of change indeed -- but given the history of Iraq and how the US has a habit of overlooking abuses (in order of exporting our prisoners for torture) in Governments that we are closely aligned with (and tell me of two that is not closer then Iraq or Afghanistan; in that order). I'd be wary for the rights of those workers in the long term... -
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Re: Iraqi Oil Workers Tell Chevron "Hands Off Iraq"
Wed, May 28, 2008 - 9:07 PMYes, I agree that the workers have undertaken a huge risk. I think they are waiting for the American public to stand with them. If there is a loud response from Americans, then the retribution will be muted to the same degree that Americans give them a shout out for their courage. -
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Re: Iraqi Oil Workers Tell Chevron "Hands Off Iraq"
Thu, May 29, 2008 - 1:22 AMSymbolic protest often is not enough. You have to calculate your leverage. -
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Re: Iraqi Oil Workers Tell Chevron "Hands Off Iraq"
Thu, May 29, 2008 - 9:46 AMThe Iraqi protest, in my opinion, was the last dying gasp to try to save their country from the rape and pillage of Western oil multi-nationals. I believe that they saw their country in such a state of chaos, that the workers really do feel that this is the last stand. And now they want us in the West to stand with them so the retribution that they will get is moderated by our response.
It might be considered suicidal but we can't see the stakes from here as well as they can. -
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Re: Iraqi Oil Workers Tell Chevron "Hands Off Iraq"
Wed, June 4, 2008 - 8:48 PMMy cold heart can't sympathize with Iragi wildcatters,
when i was young , they actually made TV's in North America?
globalism in the early 70's ended US manufacturing of electronics and other goods.
It's only worse now.
Iragi oil workers would be put up against a wall and a bullet throught the head if the Soviet union had it's way back in early 80's, in Afgahanistan, and moved into Irag.
now they got Us / global oil conglomereates with iron balls shackeled to their legs trying to fix the mess up, and create jobs for local idiots.
sad, but Sadam's horrible totalitarian rule was debateably as functionl or dysfuntional as new US molded " self government" of Irag today.
I guess to summurize, i feel that we all should not be discouraged by outside interst controlling their valuable resources. It's just human greed........ not something the US came up with. something Mankind has found usefull. -
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Re: Iraqi Oil Workers Tell Chevron "Hands Off Iraq"
Thu, June 5, 2008 - 1:33 AMThat's bullshit. The US and Britain have been prospering off of Iraqi Oil while barely paying anything to Iraq for a century and Saddam Hussein was the friend of the West for a long time, with atrocities done under him to Iraq and also versus Iran largely ignored or even silently okayed by the West, he was even left in power after Kuwait. So yes, things were brutal under Saddam but you can thank the West for that, and you can thank the West for the continuing suffering of Iraq under US occupation.
<I guess to summurize, i feel that we all should not be discouraged by outside interst controlling their valuable resources. It's just human greed........ not something the US came up with. something Mankind has found usefull.>
Maybe you're okay with the greedy raping of Iraq, but you should probably keep that to yourself. It's pretty fucked up to think that Iraqis shouldn't have control of their own resources. Their fate should be in their hands, in fact the majority of Iraq wants the US gone, so we should just leave before we do even more harm.
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Re: Iraqi Oil Workers Tell Chevron "Hands Off Iraq"
Thu, June 5, 2008 - 2:23 AMYour opinion is disingenuous and unsupportable. How would you react to another sovereign state entering the US to steal your oil? 'Course the simpleton's answer would be that this would never happen.
In my opinion, Iraqis are human too and since we live in a world that has until recently respected sovereign borders, they are entitled to the benefit of their resources. I am discouraged that the American people have allowed their government to perpetrate this inhumane and illegal war for the purpose of stealing the resources. There is no glorious or honourable reason that can justify this war.
It appears that you don't see the world in the same way. You're entitled to your cold-hearted opinion. Hopely for the world and humanity, you are in the minority. -
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This is the maximum depth. Additional responses will not be threaded.
Re: Iraqi Oil Workers Tell Chevron "Hands Off Iraq"
Fri, June 6, 2008 - 8:01 PM" might makes rite, so matter rite or wrong, might is always rite, right?"
quote from the King in " Camelot ".
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