A Report For Immediate Release:

 

During the months of May and June 2002, the International Alliance in Support of Workers in Iran (IASWI), along with a number of other labour activists, organized several activities to draw attention to the unbearable situation of the working class in Iran. As the IASWI has demonstrated in its previous documents, the Islamic Republic of Iran (IRI) does not recognize the right to organize independent workers’ organizations such as trade unions or workers’ councils. Organizations called “workers’ House” and Islamic Councils of Labour, which claim to be representing workers in Iran, are merely government-sponsored agents with no legitimacy among workers. They have been one of the main barriers for Iranian workers to establish their own independent and distinct labour organizations. Therefore, any groups, delegates or individuals associated with or supporting such “labour arms” or organizations of the Iranian government are not welcomed by the IASWI and any other advocates of Iranian workers’ rights in abroad.

 

In view of that, with financial support from the Canadian Labour Congress, Canadian Union of Public Employees, Canadian Union of Postal Workers and Canadian Auto Workers we were able to sponsor a tour to Canada by three independent Iranian labour activists and researchers for the purpose of participating in a number of labour meetings and conventions. The three visiting activists from Iran, along with Yadullah Khosroshahi, the last secretary and representative of the former All Iran Oil Workers’ Council (before being crushed and dismantled by the IRI), Behroz Daneshvar, a labour activist in Iran and now in Germany, and two of our colleagues in Canada, participated in the CUPE Ontario Convention from May 23 to 25^th in Windsor, Ontario and also attended the CLC Convention in Vancouver, BC, June 10^th to 14th.

Parviz Babaei, a veteran labour activist from Iran, addressed the CUPE Ontario convention on May 25^th. Drawing on the common experience that workers around the world are facing as a result of capitalist globalization, Mr. Babaei talked about the privatization of public services and the lack of labour rights in his country. He urged CUPE Ontario to participate in a special delegation from the ILO and ICFTU to visit Iran and see first hand the situation of the workers and their context in Iranian society.

In addition, the IASWI organized a two-full-day seminar entitled “The Iranian Labour Movement, Barriers and Perspectives” on June 1^st and 2^nd 2002 at the Toronto Metro Hall. In total, more than 120 individuals from 12 cities of 6 different countries (Canada, US, Germany, UK, Sweden and Iran) participated in this seminar. Guest speakers included Hassan Yussuff, Executive Vice-President of the Canadian Labour Congress, Sid Ryan, President of CUPE Ontario and Edgar Godoy of CUPE Ontario’s International Solidarity Committee. Speakers in Farsi included:

-     Parviz Babaei, Veteran Labour activist and author, visitor from Iran; topic: historical methods of organizing and activities of workers’ syndicates in Iran

-     Yadullah Khosroshahi, Secretary and representative of former Refinery Workers’ Syndicate and All Iran Oil Workers’ Council (currently in exile in England); topic: Iranian labour movement and obstacles to organizing);

-     Dr. Habib Ladjevardi, Director, Harvard University’s Iranian Oral History Project; topic: trade unions and politics in Iran;

-     Behroz Daneshvar, labour activist in Iran and Germany, on theoretical challenges of the working class in Iran;

-     Iraj Azarin, veteran left activist and writer (currently in exile); topic: workers’ organizations, strategy and politics

-      Mohammad Reza Ashouri, Editor of Andishe-Jamehe, a monthly journal published in Iran; topic: labour law, temporary contract work and the poor people’s movement in Iran;

-     Nasser Saeidi, PhD in Political Science and a researcher/writer on labour issues (residing in Germany); topic: workers’ independent organizations;

-     Houri Sahba, Iranian labour activist (currently residing in Canada), topic: the issues of gender and organizing for Iranian working women;

-     Ali Reza Saghafi, writer on economy and labour (a guest from Iran), topic: the impact of globalization on workers in Iran;

-     Mehdi Kouhestaninejad, President, CUPE Toronto District Council, on workers’ international labour solidarity, requirements and options.

 

Our colleagues in Vancouver organized a similar seminar with a smaller scope on June 8^th, 2002. One objective of these seminars was to provide an opportunity for Iranian labour activists across North America and Europe to share and exchange views and studies on issues confronting the labour movement in Iran. Another objective of these seminars and the other activities briefly mentioned above was to raise awareness and international solidarity with the Iranian working class by the Canadian labour movement.

 

Moreover, after two years of efforts by the IASWI and our colleagues and advisors in the Canadian labour movement, the 23rd CLC Convention in June 2002 accepted a *resolution in support of workers in Iran that included a request to the International Confederation of Free Trade Unions to dispatch a delegation to Iran to investigate the state of labour rights there, and also to demand the international right of workers in Iran to organize freely and in independent workers’ organizations with both effective collective bargaining and with the right to strike.

This was the first project of such a size and scope in Canada, and we thank the Canadian labour movement, particularly CLC, CUPE, CUPW, CAW, HERE and their international solidarity committees, for their tremendous support to make this happen.  We hope that the Canadian labour movement’s active participation in this process has just been the start of an ongoing meaningful relationship between Iranian independent labour movement and activists and the Canadian labour movement for the enhancement of workers’ international solidarity and alliance against the corporate and global capitalism and in defense of workers’ rights, freedoms and struggles in Iran.  One concrete and immediate way of doing this is to ensure that the ICFTU would support this resolution and take appropriate action accordingly. We will need a vast support from the Canadian and European labour movements in order to achieve this.

At the end, we would also like to thank all other individuals and organizations, including the Seminar’s Planning Committee and speakers and many others, who closely cooperated with us and voluntarily assisted in organizing these events.

For more information, please contact the following persons at alliance@workers-iran.org.

 

In solidarity,

 

Farid C. Partovi                         Mehdi Kouhestaninejad

Co-ordinator, IASWI                President, CUPE Toronto District

*            Support Iranian Workers

Whereas a law passed in February 2000 by the Iranian Parliament exempts workshops with five employees or less from Labour Law provisions, affecting approximately 2,800,000 workers;

Whereas the ICFTU estimates that 400,000 workers from 500 companies are owed wage arrears between 3 and 24 months; and

 Whereas Iran’s government does not recognize workers’ right to organize freely, to strike and to genuine collective bargaining, and have systematically repressed worker protests with security forces;

Therefore be it resolved that this Congress, in solidarity with Iranian workers: 

- Work with the ICFTU to dispatch a delegation to Iran to investigate the state of labour rights.

- Demand the right to organize free and independent workers' organizations, with effective collective bargaining and the right to strike.