Iraq: Trade Union Leader Murdered

The ITUC has denounced the murder of Majeed Sahib Kareem, internal relations secretary of the General Federation of Iraqi Workers (GFIW), on 26 November. The GFIW reports that Majeed, who was a leading force for the organisation of workers in the public sector, was killed by a bomb which had been attached to his car.

Brussels, 30 November: The ITUC has denounced the murder of Majeed Sahib Kareem, internal relations secretary of the General Federation of Iraqi Workers (GFIW), on 26 November. The GFIW reports that Majeed, who was a leading force for the organisation of workers in the public sector, was killed by a bomb which had been attached to his car.

“This latest premeditated atrocity against an Iraqi trade unionist must be fully investigated and the perpetrators brought to justice. The fact that workers in the public sector are deprived, by law, of the legitimate right to trade union representation only serves to reinforce the climate of impunity, and the government must bring Iraq’s labour laws into line with international standards, to ensure that the rights of every Iraqi worker are properly protected,” said Guy Ryder, ITUC general secretary.

Iraq’s notorious Saddam-era law 150 of 1987 has yet to be replaced by a legal framework for industrial relations which meets ILO standards, despite repeated calls by the country’s trade union movement. Furthermore, as detailed in the ITUC Annual Survey on Violations of Trade Union Rights, the Iraqi authorities have on many occasions directly interfered in the affairs of trade unions in the country, a practice which has continued in recent months and which must stop.


The ITUC represents 175 million workers in 155 countries and territories and has 311 national affiliates. http://www.youtube.com/ITUCCSI

For more information, please contact the ITUC Press Department on: +32 2 224 0204 or + 32 476 62 10 18.

Photo: Jeff Werner