HOW TO GET A JOB AT THE BAGHDAD PROVINCIAL COUNCIL

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 BAGHDAD 001648

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 05/21/2017
TAGS: PGOV PINR PINS KDEM IZ
SUBJECT: HOW TO GET A JOB AT THE BAGHDAD PROVINCIAL COUNCIL

Classified by Deputy Political Counselor Charles O. Blaha for
reasons 1.4 (b) and (d).


1. (U) This is a Baghdad PRT reporting cable.


2. (C) Summary: Young men and women in Baghdad struggle
with the challenges of finding jobs, starting families and
living in a violent city. Ali Dabbagh, an office manager for
the Baghdad Provincial Council (PC) Chairman, claims he did
not get his job through political connections but worries he
will lose it after another round of elections. Rasha
al-Zubaidy recently quit her job as a secretary at the PC
because religious employees constantly pressured her to dress
and behave more conservatively. Both of these young people
told PRToff about their experiences working for Baghdad's
provincial government and shared their thoughts on careers,
family, violence and real estate in Baghdad. End summary.

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Working for 'the man' in Baghdad
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3. (C) Ali Dabbagh, a 28-year old Shia, was hired by the
Baghdad PC in August 2006. He manages the office of Mueen
al-Khademi (SCIRI),the PC Chairman, and is responsible for
managing Mueen's appointments and keeping track of official
correspondence coming in and out of the Chairman's office.
Ali claimed that he has no familial or political connections
to Mueen or to the SCIRI party. Ali had been looking for
work, submitting his CV to employment services, when a friend
of his working at the PC brought Ali's CV to the right people
in the General Secretary's office at the Baghdad PC.


4. (C) Ali makes 300,000 ID a month (about $200 USD). His
position is not authorized any benefits and is not
contractual for a set period of time. He could be fired at
any time; Ali said that many workers at the PC fear another
round of elections because they believe they will all lose
their jobs. Ali is familiar with provincial politics and the
business of the Council, but feels that he is really not
privy to all of Mueen's business and does not consider
himself an insider. His duties are strictly administrative.

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Plans for family business thwarted by al-Qaeda
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5. (C) Ali went through some dark days before he was hired
by the PC. He was a business student in 2003 and worked in a
shop in Kadhamiya prior to the fall of the previous regime.
Upon graduation later that year he secured a loan from a bank
for $60,000 USD and bought a clothes store in Doura.
Initially hopeful in the aftermath of the war, he and his
family found their fortunes change as security in Baghdad
worsened.


6. (C) In early 2006 (prior to the February bombing of the
al-Askari Mosque in Samarra) Ali's family found a threatening
letter posted on the door of their Mansour home (Hayy
Khadra),giving them 72 hours to leave or be killed. Ali
claims that al-Qaeda was responsible for the letter. Ali's
family immediately fled to Karadah and found an apartment to
rent for 600,000 ID a month (about $400 USD). About a month
later, Ali found a similar letter at his shop in Doura. Ali
said that al-Qaeda waged an intimidation campaign against
many Shia and Christian shop owners in that area. He closed
the shop and discovered it looted fter a short time. The
family home (owned for several generations) in Mansour
remains vacant and Ali says that he asks friends to check in
on it periodically.

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Working to make ends meet
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7. (C) Ali told PRToff that he started looking for a job in
government because he wanted to do something productive for
his community. He says he is not an idealist; he just feels
better having a job that may contribute in some way to making
Baghdad more livable. Ali said that many young people like
himself struggle to find jobs and start families in Baghdad.
Ali is married and is expecting a child. The expense of
renting an apartment in Karadah (shared with his parents) has
made it difficult to make ends meet, but the family doesn't
feel that it is safe enough to move back to Mansour. Ali
hopes that he might get a promotion, but says he is just
thankful for the job he has. Someday, he'd like to get back
into running a business.

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Not 'religious enough' for government service
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BAGHDAD 00001648 002 OF 002



8. (C) Rasha al-Zubaidy quit her job at the Baghdad
Provincial Council because female members of the Council
constantly pressured her about wearing clothing styles and
makeup that weren't conservative enough for their tastes.
Rasha told PRToff that these 'religious' members never
threatened to fire her outright, but criticized her so much
that she began to look for work elsewhere. She took a
position as a translator with PRT earlier this month.


9. (C) Rasha worked as a secretary for the Civil Society
Committee of the PC from June 2006 ) April 2007. She did
administrative and clerical work for the committee chairman,
Tariq al-Mondalawy (Da'wa) and assisted in his outreach to
non-governmental organizations in Baghdad. Each committee of
the PC is authorized several administrative positions and
Rasha said that many PC members hire relatives or children of
friends to fill those positions. A senior PC staff member is
a neighbor and a friend of her father's and this connection
helped her get the job.


10. (C) Rasha said working at the PC was her first job. She
graduated from Mustansiriya University in 2006 with a degree
in English. She said that upon graduation her CV was
submitted to the Ministry of Education with those of all of
her classmates; the Ministry chooses new teachers from this
pool and assigns them to schools across Iraq. Because she
might get an assignment far away from home, Rasha chose to
look for work in another field.

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Dress for success
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11. (C) Rasha was paid 300,000 ID a month by the PC. She
said that occasional firings of fellow workers made everyone
feel insecure about their jobs. Talking about politics is
common among staff workers, Rasha said, but she refrained in
order to stay out of trouble. Female PC members often
criticized her for wearing colorful clothing (she was told to
wear white or very subdued colors) and for wearing 'Western
style' make-up. Rasha says her family is 'normal Shia
Muslim' and not particularly liberal or conservative, she
thinks. Rasha said she would never be able to get away with
wearing trousers or other normal parts of her wardrobe at the
PC. She always wears a headscarf in public. Rasha decided
to quit her job at the PC and look for another job. Rasha
was hired as a translator by PRT, and now assists in
facilitating meetings between the PRT and the committee she
departed.

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Danger pay for working with Americans
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12. (C) Rasha says she prefers her job at the PRT; there is
a considerable raise in her pay (about $1200/month) and she
is permitted to dress as she likes (although, by Western
standards her attire would still be considered very
conservative); however, she told PRToff that there are
additional security concerns about working in the
International Zone (IZ). She has not told any of her five
sisters that she works with Americans; her parents and fianc
are the only ones who know. Employees of USG entities and
their families are often targeted for kidnapping; anyone who
knows where she works may be able to use this information
against her family.


13. (C) Rasha is 23 years old, is engaged and plans to get
married later this summer. Her fianc works at a sports
center; his sister was a friend of Rasha's sister and played
matchmaker. Rasha and her fianc are searching for an
affordable apartment to rent and hope to start raising a
family soon. Rasha said that looking for real estate in
Baghdad is a real challenge. Many landlords in the safer
neighborhoods have raised their rents considerably. Until
they find something affordable, Rasha will continue to live
with her parents and two of her married sisters in the family
house in Kadhamiya.
CROCKER