Iraq power workers sit-in over ministry

NASIRIYAH, Iraq, Feb. 15 (UPI) -- Workers in Iraq's Nasiriyah power station staged a sit-in, demanding the Electricity Ministry do more to help them keep the plant in operation.

The Badr Newspaper reports workers carried signs during the protest, where they urged the ministry to supply new spare parts and equipment.

Abbas Abd Al Hassan Rahi, the chief of the Technicians and Engineers Union, said the plant was nearing collapse because of the alleged lack of resources dedicated by the ministry to repairs and new projects.

"After many requests were made to the Electricity Ministry and the authorities in charge that they fulfill their duties, we organized this sit-in," said Rahi, who praised the workers for keeping electricity flowing.

Meanwhile, Iraq's Electricity Ministry is urging foreign companies to bid on contracts to reconstruct and build new infrastructure.

"The Ministry is about to embark on six projects for the generation of electricity, five in Baghdad and one in al-Maseeb, Bable province," Minister Karim Waheed Hasan told the Voices of Iraq news agency.

"Iraqi companies are only rehabilitating the power grid, but not rebuilding it," he said.

He's consistently complained that billions of dollars in projects are up for grabs, but only a handful have been bid on and awarded. He's criticized those firms for not starting work.

All of Iraq's ministries have struggled to spend even a quarter of their allocated capital budget since 2003. The Iraqi Electrical Utility Workers Union has complained the ministry is too reliant on foreigners instead of paying Iraqi workers and companies to fix the infrastructure.

Electricity has increased since 2003 but is far below Iraqi demand. Attacks on infrastructure and workers are partly to blame.