Iraqi Unions Reject Draft Law, Call For Workers’ Protection

The Conference of Iraq Federations and Workers Unions (CIFWU) and the Iraqi Trade Union Council (ITUC) have rejected a proposed draft law on trade union organization for workers.

Representing ten union federations, both CIFWU and ITUC said that the law was drafted without any discussions and stakeholder participation.

The unions issued a statement, raising concerns over Iraq’s failure to keep up with international obligations in protecting workers’ rights. The statement also alleged that the authorities undermined workers’ fundamental rights, calling the draft law’s exclusion of public sector employees from forming trade unions ‘discriminatory and regressive,’ as per reports. 

In the statement, the unions also underlined specific violations of ILO Conventions 87 and 98, which assure collective bargaining and freedom of association.

They further urged the Presidency of the Council of Representatives and the Legal Committee to withdraw the draft and to request the Labour Ministry for a new and more inclusive proposal. 

The unions requested that the new legislation be created through social dialogue, in compliance with international standards to ensure the protection of the rights and freedoms of all workers.

“Freedom of association and collective bargaining are fundamental workers’ rights. This means unequivocally that workers in Iraq should not be subjected to laws restricting them from joining the union of their choice or bargain for their working conditions. IndustriALL calls on the Iraqi government and the parliament to revise the draft law and to engage with unions in genuine dialogue to achieve a proposal respecting international workers’ rights,” Atle Høie, IndustriALL general secretary, said, in a statement. 

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