TUC welcomes Iraqi Teachers' Union victory over pay

Teachers' union pay victory

TUC congratulates ITU

January 2008

TUC General Secretary Brendan Barber has written to Jasim Hussein Mohammed Al-Lami, President of the Iraqi Teachers' Union, for their recent victory in a pay dispute with the government.

The Ministry for Education in Iraq has announced that:

• teachers with a Diploma will get a pay increase of 25% of their monthly wage;
• teachers with a University Degree will receive an increase of 30%;
• Masters degree and PhD holders will get increase of 50% and 75% respectively; and
• teachers with incomes of 700 thousand dinars a month will be exempt from national taxes.

Brendan Barber's message said:

'Congratulations to you and your colleagues for your successful campaign to increase teachers' pay in Iraq, including a day of protest across Iraq last month. I understand that the strike called for this month has now been called off.

'Your victory gives us all hope that collective bargaining is alive and well in Iraq, and that unions are able to represent their members and deliver on their core demands.'

The Presidents of the Iraqi Teachers Union and the Kurdish Teachers Union have been invited to Britain at Easter to the conference of UK teaching union the NASUWT.