Forging International Labor Solidarity in Wartime No Easy Task

[Omaha Steve]

http://www.inthesetimes.com/working/entry/5271/international_unionists_and_war/

Sunday December 6 9:57 am

By Kari Lydersen

CHICAGO—In Iran, trade unionists face imprisonment, or even death, for organizing... And they are gearing up for a huge round of lay-offs triggered by President Ahmadinejad's slashing of public subdidies.


Iraq Oil Workers Union leader Hassan Juma'a Awad said the union will fight to keep foreign companies from unfairly exploiting his country's resources. (Photo by Kari Lydersen)


In Pakistan, labor organizing is a challenge when public attention is focused mostly on daily suicide bombings and the struggle for a modicum of peace. It is even harder for women labor leaders like Rubina Jamil, who must contend with a patriarchal and feudal society that expects women to stay in the home.

In Venezuela, trade unionists play a key role in maintaining and promoting the political shift away from U.S. hegemony in the region. Meanwhile energy sector labor leaders like Toni Leon feel their industry makes the country a target for oil-hungry foreign aggressors.

These were the messages during an international panel at the U.S. Labor Against War national leadership meeting in a Chicago suburb Monday. (Read Michelle Chen's preview blog here.)

The event featured top international unionists: All Pakistan Trade Union Federation chair Rubina Jamil; Toni Leon, secretary general of the Venezuelan Union of Oil Industry Workers; Hassan Juma'a Awad, president of the Iraq Oil Workers Union; and Homayoun Pourzad, a leader of the Network of Iranian Labor Unions.

They described the complicated ways in which labor is influenced by war, imperialism, repressive regimes and internal ideological and political conflicts. They also said labor must take a leadership role in avoiding or resolving such situations, and noted disasters like the Iraq war and the global economic crisis may actually open new opportunities for labor organizing.

FULL story at link.