Iran: Labor activists in the line of fire | By: Parisa Nasrabadi

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Shahrokh Zamani, a member of the Painters' Union and The Follow-Up Committee to Set up Free Labor Organizations in Iran, was sentenced to 11 years imprisonment for trying to form a syndicate

In continuing attempts to crush unions and workers protesting to demand their rights, the Islamic Republic of Iran (IRI) is imposing cruel punishments on workers and labour activists, particularly in the last two years.

The most recent offensive of the IRI regime against workers' rights activists is profoundly shocking. On Friday, June 15, 2012, about 60 labor activists, including many members of the “Coordinating Committee,” were arrested by the agents of the intelligence ministry after they raided a house in city of Karaj during a meeting of the committee. According to the first announcement of this committee, detainees were beaten by the police and transferred to Rajai Shahr prison in Karaj. Following an update issued by the “Coordinating Committee” in the afternoon of June 16th, the majority of those arrested were released on bail with the exception of the following labour activists:

Mitra Homayooni, Reyhaneh Ansari, Alireza Asgari, Saeed Marzaban, Cyrus Fathi, Masoud Salimpour, Maziar Mehrpour, Jalil Mohammadi and Faramarz Fetrat Nejad.

Workers arrested previously

Reza Shahabi, a board member of the Syndicate of Workers of Tehran Vahed Bus Company, already imprisoned for 22 months finally had a sentence of 6 years imprisonment imposed. As well he is prohibited from all union activities for five years and is forced to pay a fine of seven million Tomans into the state coffers. Reportedly, as a result of rough beatings he received following his arrest, he is in need of surgery to prevent paralysis on his left side. However, judicial officials have refused to allow him time out of prison to receive the necessary and appropriate medical treatment and the rest he needs before his surgery. They have denied all requests.

Ali Nejati, one of the board members of Haft Tapeh Sugarcane Company Workers’ Trade Union, has been the target of pressure, prosecution and imprisonment for representing workers. As a result of being incarcerated for over 3 years he is in poor health. Despite being at risk of a heart attack the regime continues to keep him incarcerated.

Shahrokh Zamani, a member of the Painters' Union and The Follow-Up Committee to Set up Free Labor Organizations in Iran, was sentenced to 11 years imprisonment for trying to form a syndicate. He has recently been exiled to Yazd prison which is very far from his hometown and where hellish conditions exist. Mohammad Jarrahi, a colleague of Shahrokh Zamani has been sentenced to five years in Tabriz prison.

Furthermore, Alireza Akhavan, a labor activist and member of the “Workers Rights Defenders”, Assad (Behnam) Ebrahimzadeh, a labor and children's rights activist, Mehdi Farahhi Shandiz a teacher and labor activist, Fariborz Rais Dana a leftist economist and member of the “Workers Rights Defenders”, Rasoul Bodaghi a member of the Iran Teachers’ Trade Association (ITTA), Abdolreza Ghanbari, a teacher sentenced to be executed and Zabihollah Bagheri, a worker at the Steel Factory in Mobarakeh city, are all labor activists who are imprisoned.

International solidarity is required to strongly support these and all imprisoned labor activists. At the same time immense pressure must be put on the IRI for the unconditional and immediate release of all detainees. This is the most minimal support we should demand and expect from international trade unions, media, the ILO and other worker's organizations and individuals.

Countdown for the regime

The escalation of extreme reaction against labour activists and the resulting detention of activists on a mass scale are particularly significant in light of the continual struggles and daily protests of workers in different services and industries. May 1^st saw a series of demonstrations across Iran including the magnificent one in Sanandaj city which resulted in mass arrests. At the present time, in Iran as in other parts of the world, workers are paying for the implementation of bloody neo-liberal political and economic policies and plans. But now many eyes gaze on   working and poor people and their heroic protests and resistance against barbaric capitalism. Despite this extreme reaction, working people, even in the face of mass imprisonment, are continuing to organize, build coalitions and political and economic organizations, to unite in action and reload their rifles. When workers have not a morsel of bread to lose – have nothing but their chains to throw off there is no other choice but to fight back.

The countdown has begun for an economic collapse in Iran. General economic crises, sanctions, the downfall of currency, the forcing down of the minimum wage to a quarter below the poverty line, late payments, cuts to subsidies (according to IMF instructions and in order to be more and more “integrated with the global capitalist system”) as well as an increase in the number of dismissals, rising unemployment rates and job insecurity as a result of the imposition of temporary contracts and the signing of blank contracts for more than 75% of workers all point to this. The absence of health and safety standards results in 4 workers’ deaths per day. Workers are deprived of unemployment and social insurance. Workers’ rights activists are oppressed and in increasing numbers are arrested and incarcerated with heavy sentences imposed; they are censored and denied the right of freedom of speech. Workers’ right to strike, to assemble, protest and march together are crushed. Independent political and economic organizations are prohibited. Child labour and the denial of essentials of life and the brutal exploitation of migrant workers, especially Afghans, are all indicators and conditions for a collapse.

Ironically, Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic of Iran, Seyed Ali Khamenei, has called the new Iranian year as the “Year of National Production, Supporting Iranian Labor and Capital.” It's clear the only policies behind this slogan are those that support the interests of the precarious bourgeoisie, crippled by the embargoes. These are policies that take aim at and are outrageous attacks on the livelihoods of workers.

All that we see in Iran are targeted subsidy plans, shameless monetary policies deliberately designed and implemented to keep wages low and steadily constrain workers through the destruction of existing labour laws and the enforcement of laws that drastically restrict the rights and protection of workers. Globally these "austerity measures packages" as they are called worldwide, will result in the raiding and destruction of the lives of all workers and layers of subalterns internationally.

Sign an online petition: 

http://www.gopetition.com/petitions/free-all-the-members-of-coordinating-committee-to-help.html