In Iraq's fields of black gold, thousands lose livelihoods

BASRA, Iraq (Reuters) - Mohammed Haider, a security worker in Iraq's southern oilfields, thought he was safe after signing a new one-year contract to guard oil facilities. Three days later, he was out of a job."I got laid off. They threw us out on the pavement," the 38-year-old said, speaking as he protested outside the Basra Oil Company headquarters, the national partner for foreign companies.Haider had been hired to drive vehicles for a British security firm around the giant West Qurna 1..