IWSN’s May Day Message to UİD-DER

Our dear class brothers and sisters in Turkey,

Our fellow labour activists in UID-DER,

For the first time in eight years the Iranian regime has allowed workers to demonstrate and celebrate May Day in public. This development has a number of domestic and international causes, with workers’ increasing combatively during the past few months being the main one.

Of course, the Iranian regime’s view of what International Workers’ Day should be like is very different to that of workers. It will not only given prominence to the pro-regime Labour House in the May Day ceremonies but has also - in what it thinks is a precautionary measure - arrested many independent labour activists, like Behnam Ebrahimzadeh and Manijeh Sadeghi, who have joined the ranks of Shahrokh Zamani, Reza Shahabi and others in jail.

This repressive measure clearly shows the weakness of the regime and its fear of independent workers’ action and organisations. We hope that this year’s May Day celebrations will mark a re-awakening of the best traditions of the Iranian working class and will help to achieve greater triumphs in its struggles against increasingly naked and modern forms of capitalist exploitation.

Unity and common struggle among all workers in Iran, regardless of ethnic origin and religious denomination, especially with Afghan workers, as well as practical solidarity with all workers in the region are the key factors to bringing about victory against the class enemy. That is the only way that Turkish, Iranian, Kurdish, Afghan and Arab workers can break the stranglehold of exploitation and oppression.

Long live May Day, international day of working class struggle and unity!

Workers of all countries, unite!