To our great Iraqi people .. and the masses of the Iraqi
working class ..
Iraq is rich with a variety of natural resources, in the
forefront of which is the enormous oil wealth, that is the real nerve centre
of the political and economic life of both Iraq and the world.
Iraq was among the founders of the Organization of
Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) in Baghdad in 1960, and issued Law No. 80
of 1961. Under this law, 95.5% of Iraqi territory, that had been under the
control of foreign companies according to concession agreements, was
expropriated. It lay the proper foundation for protecting the historic gains
obtained by the Iraqi people through prolonged battles to regain control of
their oil wealth. This law was the solid foundation that ensured success for
oil nationalization in 1972.
The covetous designs of major industrial countries
therefore continued, in particular American and British oil monopolies that
were the first to obtain concession agreements in the Arab region more than 80
years ago. After our country had rid itself of such dominance over the past
decades, these multinational corporations and oil monopolies are attempting
to regain control of this important oil wealth under various pretexts and
flimsy arguments.
Taking into consideration the great importance of oil and
gas for the Iraqi economy, and in order to avert the fall of our economy in
the trap of oil, it is necessary to adopt a strategy for national development,
and to reconfigure the role of the oil sector in this economy through the
effective application of coherent policies driven by a socio-economic strategy
with clear objectives. This is achieved through linking the present to the
future, so as to preserve this national wealth which belongs to all the Iraqi
people. It is therefore is right of the Iraqi people to see the draft Oil and
Gas Law, and to refuse to allow the fate of this national wealth; the wealth
of future generations, to be decided behind closed doors.
The Iraqi public opinion, spearheaded by Iraqi workers,
strongly oppose handing over the control of oil and gas to the multinational
corporations whose goal is profit. This will have negative economic
consequences for our national wealth at the expense of the Iraqi people, and
will result in plundering this wealth under unjust long-term contracts.
Having seen the draft law, the Iraqi working class and
trade union movement are very concerned about this law as it raises big
problems and a host of issues that need to be tackled and reviewed in
accordance with the national interest.
The General Federation of Iraqi Workers is putting forward
the following points of view as part of its contribution to the debate about
this draft law, to make it possible to develop proper Iraqi oil strategy and
policies during the coming period, in the light of the nature of the current
stage experienced by the oil industry:
First: To avoid hastiness in passing the Oil and Gas Law,
so as to give more time for studying and discussing it in a technical and
professional manner. The public opinion, civil society organizations, workers
and vocational unions, and experts must be allowed to examine the draft law,
along with oil cadres specialized in this area, in order to study it and
improve it before being forwarded to the Parliament to consider its
legislation.
Second: We demand that representatives of the General
Federation of Iraqi Workers Iraq and vocational unions attend the discussions
of the draft law for the purpose of enriching ideas and opinions relevant to
legal items in this law. This is particularly so with regard to the
provisions that require contracts to adhere to the Labour Law, the regulations
and conditions for employing and developing Iraqi human resources, the
proportion of Iraqi participation in these companies, regulating the
importation of foreign labour, the responsibilities of investing companies to
preserve the rights of individuals and workers, the compensation systems, and
the relationship with the courts in the event of various conflicts arising.
Third: We reject, adamantly, the privatization of our oil
national wealth and the Production Sharing Agreements (PSAs), and call for
direct national investment in oil and gas by the Iraqi National Oil Company.
We also call for supporting and developing the Ministry of Oil and its
institutions in a comprehensive manner, and to benefit from international
expertise and technology on the basis of service and administration agreements
with companies that are technically efficient and capable, as needed.
Fourth: To re-establish the Iraqi National Oil Company and
to give it preference in the award of contracts. Its tasks must not be
confined to producing fields, but should be able to invest in the remaining
fields: those discovered but not developed, or those partially developed. It
should be granted the new exploration contracts. Law No. 80 of 1961 must not
be repealed through handing over the oil fields that are not exploited to
foreign companies on the basis of long-term contracts.
Respect for sovereignty and national wealth, including oil
wealth, is to respect the laws of the country that serve the interests of its
people politically, socially and economically, safeguard its future and the
rights of individuals and groups, and preserve the assets of the state and the
people.
Long live our great Iraqi people .. Long live the Iraqi
working class that is fighting for free dignified life
Executive Bureau
The General Federation of Iraqi Workers
10 July 2007
______________________________________________
Published in "Tareeq al-Shaab" (People's Path), the
central organ of the Iraqi Communist Party, p.3,
Sunday 15 July 2007.
