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10 September, 2005
In Iraq, oil workers in Basra at the Southern Oil Co. brought the company to a 24-hour standstill on 17 July with a strike. Some 15,000 workers took part in the strike that was intended to force the company and Iraq’s Oil Ministry to take a portion of Southern Oil’s vast profits and use it to build Basra’s local economy. Backed by the General Union of Oil Employees (GUOE) and the Federation of Workers’ Councils and Unions in Iraq, last week’s work stoppage could be a precursor to a general strike in Iraq’s south if allocations from the country’s largest crude oil producer are not used for basic infrastructure needs such as sewage systems, electrical grids and medical services. GUOE is also seeking a wage increase for workers, land allowances, and risk payments, something that Southern Oil’s managers already receive.