January 27th 2004

It's a grey blank day and the Highway of Death is sending us to Umm Qasr, Iraqs most significant trade and passenger port, currently under the
operation of Stevedoring Services of America or, in tune with the
corporate trend here of spinning new aliases and name-changes - SSA
Marine. My friend is recalling what he saw in 1990, after the US Central
Command agreed to let their arch foes, the Republican Guard, fly over the
strip of returning soldiers from the Kuwait front and massacre them into
the asphalt for over 130 kilometers. 130 kilometers, from within Kuwait
up to the mouth of Basra, a highway of corpses - The Highway of Death.
Clearest in his mind is the sight of officers shooting the injured, lying
on the road. Bang after Bang as un-rescueable soldiers were finished off
by their comrades, staggering sights of strewn bodies for as far as the
eye could see. Nowhere to run, nowhere to hide, just a computer game
killing juggernaught and the only hope Iraq had for an end to 35 years of
Baath fascism, swept away in blood. Respective dictators shook hands,
closed the deal, and went back to business-with-the-Baath-as-usual, each
side sharpening the long-knives for an attack another day, another
bloodbath another day.

Inside Umm Qasr its the boss first  always. We met him before, a man on
the side of the Iraqi Port Authoritys Abdel Razzaq. Razzaq, a man once
admired but now reviled by most of the 18,000 IPA employees in Basra, has
withstood a number of attacks against him and his administration by
wildcat striking workers. I tried no les than five times to see him to
obtain his permission to speak to workers. Why? The end of October saw
Razzaq issue a notice to all IPA staff informing them that any
unsolicited communication with journalists or NGOs would be punished by
dismissal. Not wanting to get anyone sacked, we returned time and time
again to get his open-sesame word. But he was never there (despite our
friends telling us he was). This time a friend of a friend of a friend
has sorted us out. Workers were expecting us. The Manager will let us see
the port, see whatever we like, ahlan wa sahlan. The first thing he wants
us to be convinced of is the top-class
security at the port, the very first thing. We nod politely, weve heard
about the smuggling and the complicity of the US military, currently
still running customs at the port, controlling everything coming in and
out, signing along the dotted line for any contraband coming in. Weve
heard via an off the record well-placed source working within the CPA
itself. Its an old old story, its the same old story, post-war chaos,
little market regulation, no government. Open borders mean free booty,
controlling the borders means controlling the trade, and turning a blind
eye or slipping a tip means a pocket full of cash, day in day out. The
black market is soaring. And the pressure and intimidation againt Umm
Qasr workers is gnawing.

Formalities out of the way we finally meet a group of workers, 6 or so
are sitting around the ports Clerks Office, some are sat outside
munching oranges, others are drinking tea, smoking. Some in overalls,
some in homeknit jumpers, they glance over, dwell a little and look away,
theyre not interested in another journalist. There are no ships
unloading today otherwise the docks would be full of people unloading
explains our guide/guard, a handlebar mustached former crude oil tanker
sailor and currently responsible for security at Umm Qasr.

6-7 passenger ships pass through Umm Qasr weekly. There port contains
four container cranes at two in the new docks, two in the old. Part of
the old dock is a US military base. Following The Fall everything
including office chairs and desks was stripped from the port by looters.

We walk in and settle ourselves into the worn-out, Spartan clerks office.
Workers gather round. We start the talk on how there lives are, whats
going on, what do they need.

Wages, as usual, are the first topic of discussion:

We get 100,000, all of us, everybody apart from maybe 5 people out of 50
who get 200,000 or 300,000 tells us one of the clerks, a stout, chirpy,
mustached man in his mid thirties who everybody listens to. 100,000 
Ill tell you now that this doesnt last me and my family or any family,
more than 10 days. My rent alone is 40,000 per month and then its 9000
transportation to and from work every month. With clothes and medicines
and school - it should be 300,000 at least. I ask him how he survives.
He smiles, looks away, and explains, frankly, I find another job, I get
tips from lorry drivers, extra payments from trade members/buyers, and we
share, we here share our wages too. A round of nods and Aiywahs
(Yeses) animates the room when he says, Theres no difference between
Bremer and Saddam  theyre both thieves, two faces of the same coin.

Another starts to talk about transportation, We used to have six buses
before the war, three were destroyed by looters, two are for the personal
use of the administration and that just leaves one, and its not enough.
Two days ago one of our friends was killed by looters on his way home
from work. We really need buses. Another talks about the axing of all
profit sharing, Before the war we got a cut of all the profits here.
Were supposed to get 2% and the annual profit for the docks here in
Basra is $50m  John Walsh (SSAs Operations Manger at the port) himself
told us this and that it was held in a bank in Kuwait. That share must be
distributed amongst all the dock workers. With 52 weeks per year, two
ships per week, transporting 250 containers per ship, and the $150 tax
per container, you can imagine how much we're not getting'. Another cuts
in, A foreigner comes here and earns $7000 per month, and we are Iraqi,
we make everything happen here and we get next to nothing. I cant afford
to save; I cant afford to buy anything new, not even chocolate for my
children. After the fall of the regime we were expecting results,
changes, but nothings different. Our security guide cuts in too, What
is this 100,000 Dinar gap between wages?? 120,000 yes, 150,000 ok, but a
jump straight up to 200,000?? What, someone has to work 15 years before
they can get 200,000, and were the country of oil, what is this?.

The men in this small, decrepit clerks office are gnarled with
frustration, They came here to loot our country, Saddam was looting us,
and so is the occupation. They never came here for the weapons of mass
destruction or for Saddam  now they say hes not even a war criminal!
Hes a prisoner of war  will they release him next!!?. Here take a
look at this, says one, he heaves in a dusty cardboard box and plonks it
down in front of me. Go on, open it, I open up the cardboard flaps.
Its filled with something soft sealed in plastic. I smell it. Its
smells like fermented vinegar, pangs my nose, What is it?, Its bread
mix' he says. 'The British gave it to us. Look, look at the date. Its
out by four months. Weve been starving, weve been eating this. The
British have been giving us old off food and weve been eating it.
Didnt anything bad happen to you, you didnt get sick? I ask, Ask
him, they say, pointing to a quiet dark skinned guy standing by the
wall, who looks a bit startled, mumbles what? Then responds, No, no it
was fine, it was ok. The shame is burning though.

The clerk, irate, throws out an example of whats to come if things dont
get better: You know the 1920 revolution? When Nasiriyah people went
against the British army with swords and sticks  swords and sticks
against cannons, and won?! We promise to give life again to the 1920
revolution!. The room is gathering energy, the guys are moving around
more, tuning in more. He goes on, One of the most insulting things is
that I am a son of this country and when I leave my workplace, I find a
foreigner standing there pointing a gun at me.

Another younger worker picks up the talk, The last demo we had here was
something for the media, the next actions we take will be serious.
Falluga? Falluga is simple, basic stuff. Ive heard from people here
many a time, In the north they are fighting for their own interests, for
the privileges they lost, here when we fight we will fight for our honour
and we will lead. And from the talks I've head with workers and trade
union leaders, their honour and rage compounded by their struggle under
the regime will set them in good stead for the fight ahead.

People are all prepared, theres no surrender to the occupation in the
south despite the 'our boys winning hearts and minds in the stable south'
mantra of theatrical press officers and eager BBC Government
line-tow'ers. The stable south, the grateful south, People are watching,
waiting, some biding their time, some making plans, re-grouping, working
towards making sure the Baath, their interests and their power sources
are broken, and the Baath themselves too, are reconfiguring their
identities and positions into new businesses, organizations,
representations. Everybodys getting on with reconstructing their own
lives and working towards as well as openly fighting for, their own
interests. Nobody I have met in 3 months of being here is in agreement or
acceptance of the CPA, its institutions, its representatives, its Iraqi
collaborators, or its economy restructuring role. Daawa Party
spokesperson and Basra Security Council member Ayoob Abu Hajaar told me
that: ''All of the Iraqi people who came with the occupation don't have
dignity, honesty or loyalty to their country. Iraqi people see them as
intruders, not Iraqis. The Governing Council is not legal, it is not
elected by the people. We have our representative involved but we
accepted that because we wanted someone to watch the steps of the GC, not
because we think it is legal'.

Back to Umm Qasr, an older, worn looking man explains at pains, We are
followers of Sistani. If he says Jihad, you will see what happens. This
is why the British are following Sistani  he has the first and the last
word.

On the mater of their working conditions, We expect everything to go
from Bad to Worse,  says one, At first the British and the CPA took
down our names for unloading the first ships and told us wed get special
payments. We got nothing. Theres no electricity (blackouts are
constant, seeping Basra daily, sometimes four times a day), no pure
drinking water. The British managed to bring in cable but they only lit
the streets, not the houses. A clerk cuts in as I scribble frenetically,
And we have no hope in what youre writing by the way, because weve had
five visits from journalists with no results. Two things have improved
in our lives since the Occupation began, begins our guide, Satellites
and bananas  both became cheap, And the dish is only there to distract
us from what's really going on, distract us from the reality of our
misery comments a younger worker. He looks knackered out beyond belief.
Looks like he hasnt smiled since Eid. Not that there would have been
anything to smile about because Umm Qasr workers got Zero Eid bonuses
from the IPA  compared to the recommended public sector worker amount of
100,000 ID.

You have to form a union I say to them, This will really really help
you, help you get organized, get better wages.. they cut me off, Weve
never even thought of setting up a union. Four months ago we had a riot
over our wages  we hadnt had them for two months  we rioted against
the administration. Abdel Razzaq was beaten and as a result they had to
get in police and security. And just two weeks ago, they say, 50 workers
attacked Abdel Razzaq in front of the Minister of Transport. Grimaces and
laughs light the room all-round, a mixture of pride and slightly
delirious frustration as nothings really changed since.

Umm Qasr workers have managed to change two general directors of the
Iraqi Crude Oil Tanker Company. Saying of one, the Clerk begins We
talked to him politely, we said, sir, you are not serving our purposes
directly, and he left, But Abdel Razzaq is STICKING to his position!! He
has a special authorization from the ministry, a special budget to spread
around his closest people, and he managed to assign the Badr troops
(Armed militias of the Supreme Council for the Islamic Revolution) as a
result of this. The workers tell me that his nephew, who used to work as
bodyguard for the head of the Basra Baath Party branch, is now his own
personal bodyguard. Looks like he needs one, the rage against him runs
deep. Hes a big liar, he promised a lot, special payments to help us
but we got nothing. The clerk points to the barred window next to him
with sunlight glaring through it, and then to a bag of material on the
floor. Hes a millionaire and we bought the curtains for this office
with our own money!!.

Two weeks ago six gate guards managed to shut down the Port of Umm Qasr
for six hours. The lockout was over low wages and long hours. Turns out
our friend was one of the organizers. We had worked constantly for eight
months, with no holiday, 14-hour days, we need a break, we need a
holiday. We locked out Abdel Razzaq, the British, everyone. The British
were just standing there, watching. In the end the strike ended with a
lie  we were told wed be paid more, something would definitely be
worked out. But nothings changed.

The clerk quips up, exasperated, exhausted, The police on the gate get
400,000, I have a certificate, I am educated, and I get 100,000 ID per
month. And the British boss here never even comes to shake our hands. He
comes here, driving through the gate, and he looks at me as if IM working
for HIM, and in fact, I AM!! Resentment against the Occupation
profiteers for their very presence catches fire when those profiteers
disrespect Iraqi workers. Under duress, cajoling, and repeated requests,
one of the workers opens up about his experience with a Mr. Mike, a
company rep from British security firm Olive, who allegedly got drunk and
damaged an employees car. I was totally insulted by him. He told me
fuck you, and he called me names. In Iraq the appropriate response for
him is a punch in the face, but, because he is a foreigner, I couldnt do
anything. He's not comfortable with the story, can't recount it with
ease, it serves as yet another testament to the daily humiliation and
cheapening of Iraqi life by the Occupation administration and its
business allies, taking up the gauntlet from where the fascist Baath left
off.

So, you should really form a union, I say, trying to reintroduce the
subject, they all look at a loss, some dismiss the idea flat, brush it
aside with a wave of their hands. I run to the car and gather up the
stacks of Arabic ILO conventions I'd been saving for them. The
International Labour Organisation, set up in 1919 and incorporated into
the UN, is responsible for the creation, facilitation and advocacy of the
Geneva Conventions of workers rights  the ILO Conventions). I lug up
Convention 87 on Freedom of Association and Protection of the Right to
Organise (Iraq is not a signatory to this), Right to Organise and
Collective Bargaining Convention 98, Workers Representatives Convention
135, Dockworkers Convention 137, Occupational Safety and Health 
Dockworkers Convention 152, Workmen's Compensation (Occupational
Diseases) Convention 42, plus a list of all 185 ILO conventions with
those signed by neighbouring Arab states and of which 66 of which were
ratified by Iraq. Also in the bundles is the chapter, detailing the boss
and labour history of Stevedoring Services of America. in Arabic, from US
Labour Against The War's 'The Corporate Invasion of Iraq'.

I give them out; they're met with a mixture of skepticism and curiosity
and a ripple of 'What's this? What's this for?' The room falls quiet,
people are reading, and then our clerk friend starts to well up with
anger Why should we kid ourselves? he says slapping convention 35 on
the table, What's the purpose of forming a union? How can it serve us?,
'It'll be just like the old one', joins another, 'And how can we organize
when there is no 'labour'?, Why? We lived in fear for 35 years, you
think we can accept this? With all respect, this is useless, we can't do
anything. We have tried, to start a union  but, it, it can't happen'.
'Is it your management, will they sack you? Are you afraid? Are you
afraid from violence from them', I ask tentatively, the responses are a
'Yes', 'Yes', 'Yes', with a closed-eyed nod, for each 'We are afraid of
the management, we are afraid of the response'. 'What do you mean kid
ourselves?' challenges another, 'If we want to strike and shut down this
port tomorrow we could do it, we're ready, we can do it,' Clerk volleys
back - 'No we can't! We can't even agree on one word; 25 of us met, tried
to organize a strike and what happened? Yes or No  we couldn't even
agree on one word, to do it or not. What is that??', ' The whole room is
in uproar, a-blast with strained voices, embattled positions,
declarations, refutations, argument, anger, flux and frustration. They
start to read the conventions, Number 135 on the protection of worker
representatives from harassment and intimidation is intriguing them.
'Well, you work hard', says one, 'And this is something that deserves to
be read'. A spontaneous negotiation ignites over whether they should go
to the Federation or to form one themselves? Where would the office of
their union be?

My friend tells us we better get going, if the management come and see
all this the guys might get sacked. What we're doing is dangerous. Some
of our new friends are reading, others considering the possibilities. I
say, in leaving, that they should visit the Federation of Iraq Trade
Unions in Basra, that they will help them form a union. We give them
names and the address. I tell them that they have mass international
support and solidarity, especially from the International Longshore and
Warehouse Union (ILWU), the workers from which have the same employer as
y'all  SSA. I tell them that ILWU workers refused to ship arms for the
war last year, and that they shut down their docks for a day in
solidarity with jailed Black Panther supporting radical journalist Mumia
Abu Jamal. 'They're a very strong union, very', 'Abtaal!', (Heroes) , I
say putting my hand into a big fist, 'They are with you, they will
support you'. They look surprised and interested and 'really??'

In truth is too short a meeting, the documents need more explanation, and
back up, there should be Bremer's Orders number 30 on Employment
Conditions of State Employees, Order 39 on Foreign Investment, the goal
of the war and occupation in writing, transforming the whole of Iraq into
one massive free trade zone, and the Public Notice on Organisation in the
Workplace (being implemented like an order) which revives Baath
dictatorship anti-worker law  all in Arabic. But we can't stay, is
getting too hot and management suspicion will be gathering. Our clerk
friend asks us again where the Federation of Trade Unions is, he's going
to go, they're going to go. I tell them they can succeed, they just have
to get organized, that they have the power, they're survivors, people
will help them, they're not alone, all I can to encourage them.

With the victory of Basra's Southern Oil Company workers winning higher
wages from the Occupation Administration/CPA, this month, and the
Electricity sector workers still in negotiations with the Ministry of
Energy and the GC on raising theirs, bolstered and empowered, they say,
by SOC's win, the road is open for workers struggling not just Occupied
Basra but Iraq as a whole to reclaim their revolutionary history and
finally fight the fight for justice they've been murdered into
refusing,intimidated into denying and divided into desisting.

Ewa Jasiewicz is an independent human rights activist and has been
working with Iraqi trade unionists and workers in Occupied Basra and
active in Baghdad the past 7 months.