[Peace-discuss] Sarah Lazare: 12 years after US invasion of Iraq, one way to show solidarity

[Robert Naiman]

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Sarah Lazare
Date: Thu, Mar 19, 2015 at 7:56 AM
Subject: 12 years after US invasion of Iraq, one way to show solidarity

Dear Friends and Family:

On the 12th anniversary of the U.S. invasion of Iraq, I am asking you to
help me raise solidarity funds for Iraqi workers organizing for
self-determination and dignity in their communities.

I committed to raising $1,500 for the Federation of Workers Councils and
Unions in Iraq--to directly support public-enterprise employees fighting
back against wage theft, austerity, lay-offs, and the erosion of their
rights.

A week in, we're almost halfway to this goal. Can you help me raise the
rest today? You can donate online by clicking my Indiegogo campaign here
<https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/federation-of-workers-councils-and-unions-in-iraq/x/3395003>.
Every bit counts, and whether or not you're able to give, it would be great
if you could help spread the word.

*THE ASK:*

I was asked to by the Federation to reach out to my network for support
underwriting a portion of the costs of a conference, held in Baghdad the
weekend of March seventh. This gathering brought together workers from
across the country whose livelihoods and rights are under attack so that
they could develop their strategy and determine next steps. To read about
the outcome of the conference, click here
<http://uslaboragainstwar.org/Article/36830/iraqi-workers-in-self-financed-enterprises-meet-to-plot-strategy>
.

The funds I raise will be used to pay for transportation, housing, and food
for workers attending the conference, and to help underwrite organizing
activities that follow (Iraqi unions are unable to collect dues because the
Saddam-era law still enforced by the Iraqi government does not allow public
and state enterprise employees to organize unions).

*THE URGENCY:*

Right now, public-enterprise workers in Iraq are under attack.

The Iraqi government is seeking to further privatize and slash the public
sector by taking aim at state-owned companies that fall under the
jurisdiction of the Ministry of Industry and have a status called
“self-financed,” meaning they are supposed to operate without government
support.

Strangled by a dozen years of U.S.-led war and occupation, a divisive
sectarian government, and now the related crisis of ISIS, many of these
“self-financed” companies have simply stopped paying their workers and
slashed jobs in the textile, leather, food production, petrochemical,
electrical and other industries. The state, instead of pooling public
resources to support the tens of thousands of workers who are impacted, is
using this crisis as a pretext for further privatization.

The consequences include job-loss, wage theft, and an erosion of workplace
rights with nation-wide implications.

The gutting of Iraq’s public sector is not taking place in a vacuum. Since
the 2003 invasion, the U.S. government, along with the World Bank and
International Monetary Fund, has pressed for rapid privatization,
down-sizing of the public sector and austerity. Furthermore, the
U.S.-backed Iraqi government continues to embrace anti-worker labor
policies carried over from the regime of Saddam Hussein. The austerity
imposed on Iraq is part of a global—and devastating—trend, from Greece to
Egypt to the United States.

*THE ORGANIZING:*

Workers and unemployed people are fighting back.

Building on years of organizing, the Federation of Workers Councils and
Unions in Iraq is mobilizing resistance to escalating attacks on the public
sector. “We are in daily confrontations with the government, holding
demonstrations, sit-ins, seminars, and agitating other sectors to take
part,” Falah Alwan, president of the Federation, told me over email.

The most recent convergence in Baghdad followed two previous conferences in
Kut and Babil.

The Federation—which strongly opposes U.S. occupation and military
intervention—has repeatedly shown solidarity across national bounds. From
the People’s Hearing <http://www.iraqicivilsociety.org/archives/2887> on
the legacy of the U.S. occupation of Iraq to a statement of solidarity
<https://www.facebook.com/MaineWorkers/posts/915216095173606> with the
Southern Maine Workers’ Center, the Federation has organized alongside
international workers, anti-militarist organizers, veterans, and Diaspora
communities displaced by militarism. Even while they are involved in their
own struggle for their rights and survival, the Federation's electricity
sector workers recently sent a message of support
<http://uslaboragainstwar.org/Article/36754/iraqi-workers-send-solidarity-greeting-to-striking-us-refinery-workers>
to the striking U.S. refinery workers.

They understand the power of international solidarity. This is a chance for
us to show we do too.

*MY ROLE:*

I’m raising this money as an individual. I am connected with U.S.-based
anti-war and anti-militarist movements, as a member of the Civilian-Soldier
Alliance, ally to Iraq Veterans Against the War, and member of War
Times/Tiempos de Guerras. I’ve also been developing a relationship with the
Federation in my capacity as a journalist. But in this campaign, I’m not
claiming to represent any of these groups or capacities. This appeal is
also supported by U.S. Labor Against the War, which has made its own
contribution to underwrite the expenses of this struggle.
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://lists.chambana.net/pipermail/peace-discuss/attachments/20150319/050d43b7/attachment.html>