Stop Repression of Iranian Workers!

Repression of Iranian workers is stepped up. Apart from the deterioration of living and working conditions of workers, they are banned from union and political activity. The workers who attempt to get organised, found unions and act in their own class interests, especially the leading workers, are subjected to heavy repression. The regime does everything at its disposal to suppress the workers’ movement from arrests to torture, imprisonment, and even hanging.

Unions are a historical form of organisation and a gain of the working class and they are banned in Iran since 1979. But despite these bans and repression workers never gave up their efforts to get organised. For instance, The Syndicate of Workers of Tehran and Suburbs Bus Company  was founded in 2006 in defiance of the laws banning unions, carried out strikes and also organised various actions of protest. The terror of arrests and dismissals on the part of the members and leaders of the union have never stopped ever since. The head of the union Mansour Osanloo was arrested time and again and tortured. Reza Shahabi, one of the leaders of the union, despite the seriousness of his health condition, is being held in prison without any treatment. Last May, Farzad Kamangar, a leader of Teachers’ Union, was hanged just because he conducted union work.

As the parliamentary elections will be held in March the repression of the working class is stepped up and this increases the importance of international solidarity.

We condemn repression of workers by Iranian rulers and their state and demand all arrested workers and unionists be released immediately.

Repression of unions and other working class organisations must be stopped and the bans be lifted.

We demand full freedom of expression and organisation for the working class in Iran like we demand it all over the world.

Iranian working class is not alone!