To the people of our nation, to our brave workers,
A statement issued by
The Conference of Trade Unions and Labor Syndicates and the Iraqi Labor Council regarding the proposed law on “Regulating Trade Union Work for Workers and Employees.”
In light of the current circumstances faced by the working class and their struggle to obtain their constitutional and legitimate rights, and from the standpoint of defending the workers’ right to establish their own trade unions in accordance with the principles of freedom and democracy, and ensuring the optimal fulfillment of Iraq’s international obligations while preserving its reputation in the international community, as well as eliminating laws from the dictatorial era.
In this regard, the Iraqi Conference of Trade Unions and Labor Syndicates and the Iraqi Labor Council, which includes ten labor unions, express their rejection of the draft law on “Regulating Trade Union Work for Workers and Employees” (including artisans), which was presented for its second reading on Monday,January 13, 2025, in the Iraqi Parliament, in its entirety. This rejection is based on the numerous flaws, unjust restrictions, and discrimination against the working class, as well as the deprivation of public sector employees’ right to organize a union. The draft also contains provisions that are not aligned with International Labour Conventions No. 87 (1948) and No. 98 (1949). This was confirmed by the International Labour Organization (ILO) Expert Committee after reviewing the draft law in September 2024 in Geneva, in the presence of the Labour Committee, parliamentary civil society institutions, social partners, and representatives from the General Secretariat of the Council of Ministers and the State Council.
This draft law was formulated without relying on social dialogue mechanisms or the participation of stakeholders in its drafting, resulting in a poor and unjust representation of workers’ and employees’ rights. It does not meet Iraq’s international obligations and is unworthy of Iraq’s reputation and history in drafting laws and legislation.

There must be a departure from this legislative approach, and we must return to the stakeholders and experts in writing laws that affect their rights. Therefore, we urge the Presidency of the Council of Representatives and the Legal Committee to withdraw this draft law. We also call on the members of the Council to stand in solidarity with our trade union movement. At the same time, we urge the government to direct the Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs to begin drafting a trade union law in collaboration with the social dialogue parties and experts, in accordance with international standards, and to serve the interests of the working class while preserving Iraq’s reputation in this regard.
We call on our working-class masses and all workers in the production sectors to stand firmly in defense of their right and freedom to establish their trade unions with full independence.

Long live the Iraqi working class.
Long live the free, democratic, independent trade union movement.
The Conference of Trade Unions and Labor Syndicates and the Iraqi Labor Council

Baghdad, January 15, 2025