NO OIL FOR OCCUPATION! TRADE UNION RIGHTS NOW!

Demonstrate at the Middle East Energy 2008 conference attended by Iraqi
Oil Minister Dr Hussein al Shahristani

When? Tuesday 5th February 2008
Where? Royal Institute of International Affairs
10 St James's Square, London SW1Y 4LE (map: http://tinyurl.com/38gajj)
What time? From 8.30am

Called by the Hands Off Iraqi Oil campaign, www.handsoffiraqioil.org

Tell Iraq's Oil Minister:

No Oil for Occupation! - privatisation laws and contracts signed under
occupation can have no validity. The vast majority of Iraqis want an
immediate end to the military and economic occupation of their country.
Most Iraqis also want their resources to stay in the public sector.

Trade Union Recognition Now! - stop using dictatorship laws to repress
trade unionism

Dr Shahristani also refuses to recognise trade unions in Iraq. He has
issued decrees for the national oil company not to negotiate with unions
and ordered the shut-down of union offices.

Iraq's economic future and potential independence hangs in the balance.
Iraqi oil accounts for approximately 90% of government revenue.
Whoever control's Iraq's oil development has a controlling stake in the
country's overall development. Since 2003, the British and US governments,
and international oil companies have been pushing for an oil law which
will hand over control of Iraq's oil to foreign companies.

In spite of massive military, political and economic pressure, from
Britain and the US, opposition at every level of Iraqi society has meant
that this law cannot be passed in its present form.

Despite mass opposition to the draft Oil Law, Oil Minister Dr Hussein
al Shahristani has declared Iraq 'open for business' and invited oil
companies to invest under existing Baath regime legislation.

Trade Union Recognition Now!
Dr Shahristani is also applying Saddam Hussein's anti-union laws,re-imposed by the occupation authorities and now kept on the law books by
the Iraqi authorities. This is clearly unacceptable and ironic given
Shahristani's imprisonment by the Ba'ath regime for over 10 years.

Iraq's trade unions have called the contracts pushed by the foreign
companies and the Oil Law - Production Sharing Agreements - a 'red line'.
PSAs will allow foreign companies to control the development and
depletion of oil reserves for 25 years. Once signed, PSAs will not be
re-negotiable. Iraq's sovereignty will be surrendered and its economic future
effectively mortgaged to the agendas of oil companies.

End the military and econmic occupation
We are asking the Minister of Oil to listen to the Iraqi people,
particularly those who work in the oil sector, in their demands for a
democratic process for deciding how and by whom Iraqi oil will be controlled.

We are calling for an immediate end to economic and military occupation
by foreign interests.

No to PSAs, No Oil for Occupation!
All Troops and Occupation Institutions Out Now!
Union Recognition and Resource Democracy Now!

Coalition to Stop Deportations to Iraq

Dear Friends,

1. If you have not so already could you please sign up to the group below to be sure of getting updates from the Coalition to Stop Deportations to Iraq (CSDIraq).

yahoo groups :
http://uk.groups. yahoo.com/ group/nodeportat ionstoiraq/


a. please protest to Home Office at forcible deportation of Arian Kamal Aziz


Regards
Administrator
Coalition to Stop Deportations to Iraq

Interview with Mansour Osanloo

Interview with Mansour Osanloo
Iranian trade union leader Mansour Osanloo has been relentlessly persecuted for his efforts to secure an independent trade union and living wages for bus workers. Yet, as he explained in an interview with Transport International shortly before his latest arrest, he does not see himself as anti-government, and believes there are signs of hope for workers’ rights and freedoms in Iran.

http://www.itfglobal.org/transport-international/ti29-osanloo.cfm

Updates

18 November
Reza Dehghan, Union of the Painters (Sandicika Nagash) was arrested. He was summoned by court and then taken to Evin prison.

15 November
Mansour Osanloo was moved from Ward 209 to Ward 7 in Evin prison. On the same day, he was taken briefly to Basir Hospital for his eye checkup.

Gorban Alipour, the Haftapeh Sugar Factory spokesperson was released on $US10,000 bail.

http://www.iranlabourwatch.net

16 November
ITF Dockers' Section Steering Committee resolves to support to the Free Osanloo Campaign.

10 November
General Union of Transport Workers of Palestine sends its message of solidarity to the Tehran Bus Workers Union (texts attached).

I'm wearing the badge!

Trade unionists to the recent meetings, including the ITUC meeting on Middle East and North Africa, ITF Dockers' Section as well as the ILO Governing Body meeting, have worn the Free Osanloo badge to express their solidarity to the Iranian workers' movement.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/itf/sets/72157602429966468/

Anti- Racist Rally 11am Glasgow Sat 24th Nov

Dear IUSS Supporters,

Come and join IUSS at the annual STUC Anti Racist March and Rally at 11am, Blythwood Square, ending at Glasgow Film Theatre, Rose Street 12noon.

Chair: Georgia Cruickshank, STUC Black Workers’ Committee
Speakers: Kainde Manji, Glasgow Anti Racist Alliance
Phil McGarry, STUC President
Aamer Anwar
Anas Sarwar
Humza Yousaf

HOPI Conference

http://www.hopoi.org/conference.html

Next IUSS Meeting Nov 19th

The next IUSS meeting will be on Monday November 19th, 7pm at 80 Oakfied Avenue, Glasgow.

Please see these websites and attachment below for information regarding the huge scale of the refugee crisis caused by the war in Iraq, and the lack of responsibility being taken for it by the US and UK governments:-
http://tinyurl.com/32rvce for informative Voices UK Newsletter
http://tinyurl.com/24g3ny for UNHCR statistics
http://tinyurl.com/24hfrg for an article about the host countries who receive refugees having been left in the lurch
http://tinyurl.com/ytjqx6 for an article from Amnesty International about millions of Iraqi refugees in flight.

Iraqi comrades from the ICP have sent this link which confirms our view about the war being in order for the US administration to gain control over Iraqs oil, its at www.lrb.co.uk/v29/n20/holto1_.html

Postings about Iran include the tragic news that Mansour Ossanlou of the Teheran busworkers union has received a 5 year jail sentence for his trade union activity. See
http://www.itfglobal.org/press-area/index.cfm/pressdetail/1650 .

Also please see and sign the attached petition to release women prisoners who are sentenced to jail and flogging for their stance in upholding womens rights and for criticising the Islamic regime, the petiton is at www.petitiononline.com/maryam20/petition.htlm. Also see attachments from Iran about the seemingly imminent US war against the people of Iran and Womens Liberation.

If you have not already signed the letter to stop Aamer Anwar, the soliciter who defended Mohammed Siddique from being charged with contempot of court, please do so by going to www.sacc.org.uk/defendaamer

Aamer Anwar will be speaking at a meeting on Defending Civil Liberties on November 13th, 7.30pm at the Mitchell Theatre, Granville Street, Glasgow (doors open 7pm) organised by Scotland Against Criminalising Communities and Glasgow Stop the War Coalition.

Discussion Forum

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/iuss

Group email:iuss@yahoogroups.com