The Iraqi Civil Society Solidarity Initiative spreads the message of Iraqi unions and civil society organizations on May 1st Celebrations in 2015, and endorses the call for solidarity by U.S. Labor Against the War:

Iraq’s unions need our solidarity: SOLIDARITY is the secret weapon of the labor movement

We understand the power of workers standing up for one another. We know that “An injury to one, is an injury to all.” Your contribution is a direct and very concrete way to express your solidarity with the unions and the people of Iraq.

Please make a generous contribution to the USLAW Iraq Labor Solidarity Fund. These contributions will be used to enable Iraqi unions to respond to the growing humanitarian disaster and to carry on their struggle for basic labor rights.

Make a contribution here with a credit card in whatever amount you can afford. Thanks in advance for whatever help you can provide.

The article by the Iraqi Social Forum and Iraqi unions on May 1st follows:

The General Trade Union of Iraqi Workers, in cooperation with the Iraqi Social Forum, organized an social and art festival on the occasion of Workers’ Day, on the 1^st of May 2015, at the Kasr Alsadeer hotel hall in Baghdad. The festival was attended by many of the trade union members, their families, and civil activists.

The festival was opened by the National Anthem, and then the audience listened to the head of the GTUIW speech, Mr. Ali Raheem Ali: “The working class in our country has grown to become an important national power, enriched with struggle experiences and expertise that lasted for more than eight decades of national strife against Colonialism, tyrant rulers, against exploitation and social injustice”.

After that, it was the Parliamentarian of the Democratic Alwarkaa Bloc Mr. Joseph Saliwa’s speech, during which he presented his congratulations to the working class, hoping that the worker’s public movement will continue, until the complete fulfillment of the working class.

Then it was the speech of the Higher Coordination Committee for the employees of the Ministry of Industry, by Mr. Mudher Almoosawi, who praised the role of the employees of the Self-financing companies during the recent workers uprising that complied the government to respond to their demands that included releasing their financial dues.

The activist Shameran Mrokel followed, with the speech of The Iraqi Women League, emphasizing that this international day motivates us with determination to address and meet the all the challenges that impact the reality of our people and our workers, the importance of providing free and dignified life, social insurance, and women participation in the trade union action.

The Iraqi Social Forum coordinator Ali Sahib came next with the ISF NC speech: “In this year, we ae living a different Labor Day. During the last months, the working class went on an expanded public movement, where the employees of the Self-financing companies took the lead, demanding their fees, and standing against privatization of plants projects, attracting the attention to the necessity of continuing with campaigns that demand the legislation of labor resolution, and the freedom of union action resolution.

Before the beginning of the art activities of the festival, 9 union –male and female- activists were honored to their role in supporting union action in Iraq.

Singing and music had their share in the festival. The musical Salam “peace” Band presented Iraqi golden oldies that all the audience responded to.

The closure was with a play called ALMASTAR “the place where labor workers gather, waiting for someone to employee them on daily- fees bases”, presented by Labor Cultural House group, of the GTUIW. The play was written and directed by Abbas Lateif, staring Azeez Kareem, Imad Aljabiri, Aseel Adnan, and Hamid Ajlan. The play dealt with the concerns and struggle of workers for a living under difficult economic conditions, unemployment and the spread of financial and administrative corruption that our country is suffering.

It’s worth to mention that, thousands of workers and their supporters, celebrated the 1^st of May in Baghdad and other Iraqi provinces, demanding the elevation of their livelihood, and dignified living.