On February 24th, several hundred anti-war protesters gathered at Bechtel Corporate Headquarters to protest against the corporate invasion of Iraq. Photos: 1  2 3  4  5 | Video: 1  2&nbsp 3  4 5 |  Poster Art:  1
United For Peace | DASW | Flyers
Following on the heels of the military invasion of Iraq, another invasion began: a corporate invasion by Halliburton, Bechtel, and other U.S. companies that were awarded millions in “reconstruction” contracts. Nine months into the occupation, Iraqi schools are still in disrepair, electricity is intermittent, and the water is not safe to drink.
Qualified Iraqi businesses say they are shut out of the reconstruction of their own country and some 70% of Iraqi workers are unemployed. At the same time, the occupation administration has essentially put Iraq up for sale. In September, the Coalition Provisional Authority issued an “order” that allows for the privatization of Iraqi state companies, 100% ownership of Iraqi banks, mines and factories by foreign companies, and 100% expropriation of profits by foreign firms operating in Iraq. The CPA has also left in place a Saddam Hussein-era law that forbids workers in state-owned enterprises (where the majority of Iraqis work) from forming unions (see LaborNet for more information). They have also repeatedly detained or harassed workers who are demonstrating for jobs or better pay. Read More...
Bechtel Wins Iraq War Contracts | Operation Sweatshop Iraq | MAKING A KILLING: The New War Profiteers
Previous Protests At Bechtel Headquarters in SF: 10/28/2002   3/20/2003   6/5/2003