Iraqi workers demonstrate against oil grab by Dick Cheney

This is a video from the USA:

“At a rally, on June 5, 2007, in front of the office of BearingPoint, Inc., in Washington, D.C., two distinguished labor leaders spoke out against the scheme to privatize Iraq’s Oil. They were Ms. Denice Lombard, who is with US Labor Against the War (USLAW), and Mrs. Hashmeya Muhsin Hussein. She is the President of the Electrical Utility Workers Union (General Federation of Iraqi Workers).”

From Voices of Iraq:

PETROL POLITICS

Oil Workers Mount Protest in Basra

Union Protests Oil Law, Government Increase on Fuel Prices

The executive bureau of Basra’s trade unions organized a large demonstration on Monday, where hundreds of workers called for reconsidering the oil and gas law and the government’s recent decision to increase fuel prices.

“Members of all Basra’s trade unions took to the streets to show solidarity with the oil trade union, calling for reconsidering the oil and gas law and the government decision to increase fuel prices,” the head of the bureau, Hussein Fadel, told the independent news agency Voices of Iraq (VOI).

The executive bureau issued a statement last week calling for the removal of the oil minister, freedom of syndicates to organize their administrations and activities and the cancellation of decision no. 150, which bans syndicates’ activities in public sector institutions.

“The demonstration reflected the unity of Basra’s trade unions. The ports, electricity, services, municipalities and other trade unions all united to call for the legitimate demands of the oil trade union’s workers,” he added.

A media spokesman for Basra’s trade unions, Faraj Ribat Mazban, told VOI that the demonstrators were protesting against the oil and gas law, which he said allows foreign companies to exploit Iraq’s wealth.

See also here.