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April 29, 2010
10 Independent Workers Organizations in Iran have issued a joint statement on the occasion of the international workers day. The text of the statement translated by Iran Labor Report is as follows:
May 1st is the international day of working-class solidarity and the day of global protest against poverty, destitution, and injustice. On this day, millions of workers the world over stop work, take over the streets, and express their anger and disgust at the numerous problems the capitalist system has visited on humanity, and loudly call for freedom from oppression, exploitation, and for building a better day.
While voices of protest against the hardships incflicted by the capitalist system and calls for justice for workers the world over are heard on May 1st, there is a ban on celebrations of the occasion in Iran. At this moment, the workers who organized last year’s May Day events have been sentenced to prison or are on the brink of receiving heavy sentences and dozens of labor leaders and activists are in jail for setting up labor organizations and defending their right to do so.
This lack of social rights for workers has been the order of the day in Iran for the three decades since the February 1979 revolution, which reduced wages to a quarter below the poverty line. Routine are long delays in the payment of wages, layoffs and unemployment for masses of workers. Temporary and blank contracts, ubiquitous today, have forced a hellish situation on millions of workers and their families. To ensure higher profits, capital is hell-bent on taking the last loaves from the tables of millions of workers and redirecting them to the valets of owners, by closing down plants and cutting public subsidies.
But as we, the workers of Iran, showed in the 1979 revolution and in more recent years, we will not tolerate this misery and injustice. Despite prisons and repression, the people of Iran will resist this trampling on our most basic human rights and will not allow our lives and subsistence to be destroyed any further. We are the principle producers of the wealth and riches in the society. It is our inalienable right to reap the rewards of our labors.
While protesting these conditions, which have put Iranian workers and the majority of the Iranian people under enormous duress, we stress the following rights and call for the immediate and unconditional implementation of all of them:
1. Organizations independent of the government and employers, strikes, protests, demonstrations, assembly, and free speech are our inalienable rights; these demands should be recognized as unconditional social rights of workers and all Iranian people.
2. We see the cutting of subsidies (management of aid) and the minimum wage as a gradual death sentence on millions of workers and their families. We call for an immediate halt to these plans and demand an increase of the minimum wage.
3. All back wages owed to workers should be paid immediately, without any excuses; the non-payment of wages should be considered a criminal act – wage theft – and the damages incurred paid to the workers.
4. Expulsions and layoffs of workers should be stopped and all those laid off or of retirement age who can work should receive unemployment benefits in accordance with a dignified, humane living.
5. We demand the eradication of temporary and blank contracts, job security for all workers and wage earners, the highest standards of health care and safety on the job and the eradication of all governmental bodies from the workplace.
6. We call for an end to capital punishment and the immediate and unconditional release of Ibrahim Maddadi, Mansour Osaloo, Ali Nejati, and all labor and other social and protest movement activists from prison, and a halt to judicial prosecution against them.
7. While condemning any attacks on workers and people’s protests, we see protests against injustice and declaring one’s opinion as inalienable rights of workers and all people.
8. We demand the repeal of all discriminatory laws against women and full and unconditional equality of women and men in all aspects of social, economic, political, cultural, and family spheres.
9. We demand a dignified life of well-being devoid of economic worries for retirees and the eradication of all discrimination in payment of pensions and entitlement to social security and health care.
10. Child labor should be eradicated, and all children, regardless of the economic and social standing of their parents, gender, national, racial, and religious backgrounds, should enjoy equal and free education, welfare, and health care benefits.
11. We declare our support for all social liberation movements and strongly condemn the arrest, sentencing, and incarceration of these movements’ activists.
12. While declaring our strong support for the demands of the teachers, nurses, and other working strata of the society, we see ourselves as their allies and call for the immediate realization of their demands.
13. We are part of the world labor movement and as such condemn the expulsions and any kind of discrimination against Afghan and other nationalities of immigrant workers, for any reason.
14. While appreciating all the international support for the struggle of the workers of Iran and strong support for the protests and demands of workers all over the world, we see ourselves as their allies and now more than ever emphasize the international solidarity of workers to overcome the perils of the capitalist system.
15. May 1st should be a national holiday and included in the official calendar and all illegalities and limitations on its celebration should be eliminated.
Long live May 1st,
Long live the international solidarity of workers!
May 1, 2010
Ordibehesht 11, 1389
Tehran and Municipality Vahed Bus Workers Syndicate
Haft Tapeh Sugar Refinery Workers Syndicate
Free Assembly of Iranian Workers
Re-inauguration board of Metal and Mechanical Syndicate
Re-inauguration board of Painting Workers Syndicate
Kermanshah Electrical and Metal Workers Trade Society
Pursueing Committee for the Formation of Free Workers Organizations
Coordination Committee for support of the Foramation of Workes Organizations
Support Society for Laid off and Unemployed Workers in Saghez
Women’s Council
http://iranlaborreport.com/?p=630
Day report on Labor activites by Iran labor site:
Workers took to the streets in various cities in Iran to celebrate the International Workers Day to raise their demands. Despite Heavy security forces presence, workers staged demonstrations in various cities.
The city of Tehran was turned into a fortified city from early hours of morning with special forces, police, and Basij militia filling the streets close to the offices of the Labor Ministry where a gathering was planned in the afternoon. Although the show of force was intended to dissuade any gatherings from taking place, thousands did appear at the site and stood silently or walked around the Ministry building for about two hours.
Earlier at noon a workers gathering numbering around 500 in front of the parliament was confronted with special forces. There were some reports of skirmishes taking place resulting in injuries to up to 30 people were reported. The workers were marching in groups of 40. There were reports of a worker setting himself ablaze in front of the Tehran University in protest where Mahmoud Ahmadinejad paid a surprise visit.
Special Forces Roaming the Streets of Tehran on May Day
Students in the Tehran University staged marches in the university compounds chanting among others: “Students, Workers, Unite, Unite”. Some buses and taxi drivers also staged a short symbolic strike action in the city.
Tehran University Students Chanting \”Workers, Students, Unite, Unite\”
In the industrial city of Qazvin, around eight thousands workers gathered in the city stadium starting at 9:00 a.m. The workers were chanting “workers, workers, unite, unite” among others. Several speakers called for an end to temporary contracts and for permanent employment, heath care, and other demands. Several workers from Alborz China factory put up a banner stating ”we the workers of Alborz China factory are calling for a stop to the factory closure. We the workers of Alborz China factory have not received wages for 7 months. We have not received our bonuses for 2008 and 2009.” There was heavy security force presence throughout the city. The workers gathering ended around 1:00 p.m.
In the city of Tabriz, hundreds of workers gathered around the city labor offices in Khomeini Avenue at 11:00 a.m. The heavy security presence was also visible in Tabriz with up to 40 police vehicles surrounding the workers’ gathering.
In the city of Ahvaz, the capital of southern Khuzestan province, Ahvaz Pipe factory workers gathered in front of the city labor offices at 11:00 a.m. The workers were protesting non-payment of back wages for the past 13 months. Security forces had heavy presence in those premises as well.
In the city of Shiraz, workers including those from Shiraz Meat Packing Complex and Iran Telecommunication Industries gathered in front of the governors mansion with heavy security forces presence. The workers numbered more than 2000. ITI workers were protesting not having received their wages for the past 13 months. Shiraz Meat Packing Complex workers banner read: “Happy Unemployment Day Workers; we will not stop until we gain our rights -the laid off workers of the Shiraz Meat Packing Complex”.
There are reports of confrontations with the security forces in the cities of Isfahan and Dastgerd and Homayoun Shahr. The injured are reported to have been taken to Al Zahra hospital in Isfahan.
In the city of Sanandaj in Kurdistan, a gathering was held in the main city bazaar where sweets where passed around and a ten point declaration read stating workers’ demands. Workers Day celebrations were also held in the city of Saqez where Mahmoud Salehi, a labor leader with the Coordinating Committee to Facilitate Creation of Workers Organizations, spoke.
The workers also used the government-sanctioned events to press for their demands. In the main “Workers’ House” gathering in the city of Tehran, the workers started their complaints while the main ten point declaration was being read. One worker abruptly took to the tribune and said: “We have problems. We are destitute. We, the construction workers, have had a year with no wages, no jobs. Our wives and children need bread. We want the labor minister and the head of the Workers House to look into our situation.” Security forces outside stood guard and the Labor Minister who was supposed to attend the meeting did not show up.
The labor minister, Abdolreza Sheikholeslami, on Friday, had attended a meeting in the city of Mashhad where he did not utter a single word about labor. The speech was responded with protests by the workers afterwards. According the web site Kalame, one worker said: “We were expecting to hear better words from the minister on improvement of the workers conditions but in his speech he did not even say a single word about the workers.” The students of Ferdowsi University in Mashhad went along with their announced hunger strike in support of the striking workers. They refrained from attending classes for two hours.
In Tehran, about 1500 workers gathered outside the ministry of internal affairs where Ahmadinejad was speaking with selected Basiji workers. The workers chanted their demands outside the meeting.
In the city of Qom, the religious heartland of Iran, Hamid China factory workers attended the “Workers House” gathering in Eshghe Ali Hosseiynieh mosque and pressed their demands despite the speaker’s attempts at preventing them.
Gatherings have also been reported in the cities of Semnan, and Hamedan among others
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