Realities and Perspectives of the Trade Union Movement in Iraq

INTRODUCTION AND RATIONALE
Iraq stands at a critical juncture as it contends with profound economic and social challenges that are reshaping its labour market, industrial relations, and trade union landscape. Decades of conflict, political instability, and structural economic vulnerabilities have led to persistently high levels of unemployment, widespread informality, and underemployment, particularly among youth and women. The dominance of the public sector and reliance on oil revenues have stifled private sector development and economic diversification, limiting opportunities for decent work and sustainable growth.
This economic scenario is compounded by Iraq’s young and rapidly growing population, which faces limited access to quality education, vocational training, and employment opportunities. A mismatch between skills and labor market demands has left many young Iraqis without viable career paths. Informal employment, lacking social protection, job security, and labour rights, is widespread, exposing millions—including migrant, internally displaced, women, and youth workers—to precarious conditions. These economic and social realities are intensified by Iraq’s fragile social fabric and ongoing displacement crises, further exacerbating worker vulnerabilities and underscoring the urgent need for labour market reform.
The Iraqi labour movement has historically played a vital role in advocating for workers’ rights and social justice. However, trade unions in Iraq face substantial obstacles due to outdated legal frameworks, political interference, organizational fragmentation, and limited capacity to represent and serve their members effectively. While the 2015 Labour Law grants workers the right to organize and establishes basic procedures for collective bargaining, the 1987 Union Assembly Law remains in force and continues to restrict trade union organizing in state-owned enterprises (SOEs). Despite ongoing development of a new trade union law to address these limitations, external interference by state and political actors and a highly politicized environment continue to impede freedom of association and collective bargaining in practice. Fragmentation and limited scope for social dialogue have prevented effective representation of workers at the workplace, sectoral, and national levels.
Despite the necessity for collaborative action, Iraq’s trade unions have yet to fully embrace the reality of trade union pluralism and are often hesitant to cooperate across organizational lines. This reluctance has hindered efforts to build a unified voice for workers and has weakened the movement’s ability to effectively represent and advocate for labour rights. The persistence of union fragmentation, coupled with political and ideological divisions, limits the ability of unions to work together to advance common goals. The lack of coordination also hinders their capacity to engage meaningfully in social dialogue, leaving workers without robust representation in policymaking that directly impacts their lives.
With support from the ILO, Iraqi trade unions have initiated steps toward reform, including the drafting of a revised trade union law to align with international labour standards. A Memorandum of Understanding signed in 2019 established a Trade Union Committee to coordinate efforts among various federations in Iraq, underscoring a commitment to the achievement of Decent Work for all. However, limited progress in fostering true cooperation and acceptance of pluralism continues to restrict the movement’s effectiveness. Absence of legal framework, fragmented labour market conditions, high levels of informality, and external interference further challenge unions’ ability to organize, represent workers’ interests, and advocate for decent work and fair economic and social policies.
In this context, the role of democratic and independent trade unions is more crucial than ever. Representative workers’ organizations provide an inclusive, democratic alternative to authoritarianism and help counterbalance social instability. They serve as essential channels for workers to express demands, address grievances, and participate in shaping policies that impact their lives. The ILO’s experience globally has shown that where democratic trade unions are weak or under authoritarian control, societies lose a vital mechanism for addressing social and economic discontent constructively.
In light of this, the ILO is commissioning a consultancy to develop a comprehensive report on the Iraqi trade union movement in relation to Iraq’s economic, social, and labour force realities. This consultancy will provide a thorough analysis of the current union landscape, examining its structures, membership, governance systems, priorities, services, affiliations, and engagement with diverse stakeholders. Additionally, the consultancy will advise Iraqi trade unions on areas needing improvement to enhance their effectiveness in supporting and protecting Iraq’s evolving workforce.
By supporting Iraqi unions to improve internal governance, foster inclusiveness, accept the reality of pluralism, and build capacities for effective social dialogue, the consultancy will enable unions to represent workers’ interests more effectively, support inclusive economic and social progress, and contribute to a more stable and democratic Iraq.
Ultimately, this initiative aims to empower Iraqi trade unions as advocates for labour rights, promoters of democratic values within their ranks, and trusted representatives of the workforce. By doing so, the consultancy seeks to foster a vibrant and cohesive labour movement capable of engaging meaningfully in Iraq’s socio-economic development and advancing decent work and social justice across the nation.
Objectives of the Consultancy
This consultancy seeks to conduct a comprehensive scoping study on the current state of Iraq’s trade union movement, labour force dynamics, and the primary challenges within the country’s economic and social context. The study will provide critical recommendations for reforming and strengthening the structure, governance, and overall effectiveness of trade union organizations aligning them with labour market needs and international labour standards. By identifying key gaps, challenges, and opportunities, the study will inform future initiatives aimed at enhancing the role of trade unions in promoting inclusive labour policies, fostering social dialogue, and safeguarding the rights of all workers in Iraq
Expected Outcomes, and Outputs
Outcome 1: Improved Understanding of the Trade Union Landscape in Iraq
• Output 1: Labour Market Landscape Analysis including Stakeholder Mapping and Engagement Conducted
• Conduct comprehensive research, including desk review, structured interviews, and focus groups with union members, leaders, and stakeholders. This research aims to capture insights on organizational structures, challenges, member needs, and provide updated information on the current state of Iraq’s trade union movement and the socio-economic factors impacting labor organizations.
Outcome 2: Strategic Recommendations for Reform and Capacity Building
• Output 2: Report with Recommendations for Reform and Capacity Building:
o The report will cover the following:
 Analysis of Iraq’s labour force realities, including economic, social, and political factors affecting trade union organizations.
 Assessment of the current structure, governance, membership, and operations of trade unions in Iraq.
 Identification of key challenges (e.g., fragmentation, political interference, resource limitations, legal barriers, and capacities).
 Analyses of the Trade Unions scope of work at the sectoral and geographical level,
 Analyses of the trade union representation for young workers and women in the trade union structures.
 Assess the current participation levels and potential barriers preventing effective bipartite and tripartite social dialogue.
 Opportunities for reform and capacity building to enhance the effectiveness of trade unions.
 Develop tailored recommendations for governance improvement, membership engagement, and resource allocation based on the identified needs and international best practices.
 Propose at developing skills in leadership, negotiation, advocacy, and organizational management within trade unions.
 Develop actionable recommendations to enhance trade union capacity for meaningful engagement in policy discussions, including bipartite and tripartite social dialogue mechanisms at the workplace, sectoral, and national levels.
Inception Report:
o A detailed report outlining the methodology, work plan, timeline, and key stakeholders to be engaged during the scoping study.
2. Presentation of Findings:
o A final presentation to key stakeholders, including trade union leaders, government representatives, and international partners, to discuss the study’s findings and recommendations.
METHODOLOGY
The consult will employ a multi-phase, participatory approach to ensure a thorough and systematic analysis of Iraq’s trade union landscape, encompassing both qualitative and quantitative methods. This participatory methodology is designed to gather diverse insights from stakeholders, perform in-depth analysis, and develop actionable recommendations aligned with the ILO’s objectives and ILS. The process will culminate in a final presentation to key stakeholders, including trade union leaders, government representatives, and international partners, to discuss the study’s findings and recommendations.
DURATION
The proposed timeline and deliverables for the consultancy is 30 working days spread over a three-month period starting January 15, 2025 till March 30, 2025
Total Estimated Budget:
Consultancy Fees: $9,000
Surveys, Focus groups meetings and interviews Costs: $3,000
Logistics (including consultant mission to Kurdistan): $2,000
Workshop to present the results: $7,000
Translation: $4,000

QUALIFICATIONS
The Consultant is expected to have the following functional qualifications, experience and competencies:
• Advanced degree in labour economics, social sciences, industrial relations, or a related field.
• Proven experience working with trade unions, social dialogue mechanisms, or labour organizations in similar settings.
• Demonstrated expertise in strategic planning, organizational development, and trade union support; experience in labour, employment, and development studies within a post-conflict or fragile state context is advantageous.
• Experience in stakeholder engagement and facilitating consultations with diverse groups, including displaced workers, migrant workers, women, youth, informal economy workers, government representatives, and employers.
• In-depth knowledge of international labour standards and an understanding of trade unions’ role in advocating for workers’ rights through social dialogue mechanisms.
• Strong analytical, research, and report-writing skills.
• Familiarity with international labour standards and trade union rights.
• Excellent communication skills and ability to work with diverse stakeholders.
DELIVERABLES
1. Inception Report.
2. Stakeholder Mapping and Engagement Report.
3. Comprehensive Scoping Study Report.
4. Strategic Recommendations for Trade Union Reform.
5. Final presentation of findings to stakeholders.
Technical Proposal

The External Collaborator shall describe in the Technical Proposal how it intends to meet the requirements described in the Terms of Reference.

In preparing the Proposal, the External Collaborator shall review all requirements and will reflect its understanding of and approach to meeting these requirements in the Proposal.

In preparing the Technical Proposal, the Bidder shall provide details of the proposed project methodology and implementation and management plan as well as CVs which will deliver the works specified in this TOR.

The External Collaborator may also add any other document and information to demonstrate its technical and professional capacities and competencies to fulfil the requirements as specified in the Terms of Reference

Evaluation Process and Criteria

Proposals will be reviewed and evaluated by an Evaluation Panel, to determine compliance with the requirements specified in the RFP.

A two-stage procedure will be utilized in evaluating the Proposals, with evaluation of each Technical Proposal constituting 70% of the total grade being completed prior to any Financial Offer which constitute 30% of the total grade being opened and compared.

Each Technical Proposal is evaluated on the basis of its responsiveness to the Terms of Reference (TOR).

During the second stage of the evaluation, the Financial Offers (30% grading) of all Bidders which have attained at least the minimum score during the technical evaluation will be compared.

The proposals will be evaluated according to the criteria described below:

1. 30% for Depth and quality of response to the RFP;
2. 20% Technical compliance with the Terms of Reference;
3. 10% the qualifications and experience of proposed key personnel;
4. 30% the proposed implementation and management plan;
5. 10% the overall cost.

The process of evaluating the proposals will be based on the percentage combination of Technical and Financial elements.

ILO Website:

https://www.ilo.org/resource/vacancy-notice/individual-consultant