Iraq’s PM Maliki decides to prevent trade union activity in state institutions, Liberal Ligislature says:

BASRA / IraqiNews.com: Iraq‘s Prime Minister, Nouri al-Maliki, has decided to ban trade union activity within the state institions, limiting their activity within the private sector only, a legislature, representing al-Ahrar (Liberals) bloc in the Iraqi Parliament said on Thursday. “The trade unions have been organized through elections and have carried out their continuous activity till Nouri al-Maliki took power in Iraq, when he issued a decision preventing those trade unions to act within state institions, limiting their activity on the private sector only,” Legislature, Uday Awad, told IraqiNews.com news agency. Awad described Prime Minister Maliki’s decision to be “a repetition for a similar decision, taken by Iraq‘s former President Saddam Hussein, that banned trade union activity within state institutions, allowing their activity in the private sector only.” “Article 22 of the Iraqi Constitution confirms that the State must guarantee the right of the establishment of trade unions and vocational federations, as well as enrolment to those unions and federations, allowing trade union activity within state institutions,” the Iraqi Legislature said. Awad pointed out that he “shall strive to raise the issue of the right to form trade unions and federations to the Parliament’s Chairmanship, in order to vote on it in a Parliament session soon,” reiterating that “the closure of trade unions is considered as a measure rejected by the public opinion and a violence to the Iraqi Constitution.” AA (A) / SKH 68