Alborz Tire Workers Vow further Actions
Alborz Tire workers gathered outside the Ministry of labour in Tehran on October 5th, 2008. Also, on Thursday, October 2, 2008, over 400 workers of Alborz Tire Company staged a rally outside the Ministry of Labour in Tehran. Security forces prevented workers from entering the Ministry’s building; however, after a few hours a deputy minister appeared in front of workers claiming that the state would loan one billion toman (about US$1,043,000.00) to the company. Alborz Tire used to be state-owned, under National Iranian Industries Organization, but got privatized in 1990s. Workers have demanded about 6 months of unpaid wages as well as the expulsion of the management of the company. Workers also announced that this company already owes tens of billions of tomans to the Social Security Organization and the Sepah Bank; thus this money will be useless for workers and they demanded the government take over and full payment of wages. Alborz Tire workers have been organizing numerous protest actions and strikes in the past few months. Since they have no established union or any other established independent labour organizations, they elected 20 workers as their representatives to pursue their demands. On October 6th, workers rejected the Ministry’s plan and vowed to rally outside the Parliament next week with their families if no effective actions were to be taken by the authorities. Among slogans that day, one said “workers have not been paid wages for 6 months, what about you Mr. Minister?” Over 1200 workers are employed by the Alborz Tire Manufacturing Company.
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Click here for sample protest letter: http://www.workers-iran.org/News/Protest%20against%20the%20outrageous%20whipping%20sentences,%20Aug%202008.htm
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International Alliance in Support of Workers in Iran (IASWI)
Background Information: www.workers-iran.org