20.01.2005

Support the forthcoming conference of workers in Baghdad

Urgent appeal for financial support for workers' conference in Baghdad

To all unions, labour organisations, political parties and individuals - support the forthcoming conference of workers in Baghdad Dear comrades and supporters of the struggle of workers in Iraq, The Federation of Workers Councils and Unions in Iraq (FWCUI) is preparing its second workers' conference. This event will take place in Baghdad from January 25-27 2005. As you are aware, we have already held a successful conference in Basra that attracted more than 375 representatives of workers from various unions and factories and from different cities in south Iraq. These participants created a united leadership to move towards a more coordinated struggle of workers across the south. This has provided a model for workers in other parts of Iraq and now - responding to the demands of workers in Baghdad and other cities in central Iraq - FWCUI is preparing this second conference. Our second conference is going to be another major step towards uniting workers around a clear progressive platform. It will facilitate the struggle of the workers of Iraq to impose their just demands on the pro-US administration. Crucially, it will also be a boost to the formation of strong, independent unions across Iraq - fighting workers' organisations that are independent and opposed to the US's repressive machinations against our class. The reason workers are gathering around our federation is because of its intransigent commitment to independent working class principles and its defence of workers' rights. All of this was evidenced in a recent successful wave of strikes lead by FWCUI. The workers of Iraq are determined to hold their conference in Baghdad, the capital of their country. This conference will be an essential organising tool to strengthen the many local initiatives that are taking place in the field of trade union struggles, as well as to forge a united working class front with the struggles that are taking place the length and breadth of Iraq. But we desperately need your help and solidarity. Concretely, we are asking for donations - large or small - to help make sure this vital working class gathering can go ahead. The FWCUI's budget for this conference is $10,000. We need this money In order to accommodate workers coming from different parts of the country, as well as for transport, security, food, publicity, renting a hall, etc. Please rush your donations to FWCUI - help make sure that this historic step forward for working people in Iraq actually takes place. In solidarity, Aso Jabbar, Houzan Mahmoud and Akram Muhammad Send donations to: Aso Jabber, representative abroad of FWCUI, Post Box 8553, 3001 Bern, Switzerland. For more information (Britain) please contact: 07956 883001; houzan73@-yahoo.co.uk