Highlights and News-Workers’ Struggles in Iran- November 12, 2007

Updates on Arrested Haft Tapeh Workers

According to the Collaborative Council of Labour Organizations and Activists and the Committee in Defense of Mahmud Salehi, Ghorban (Ramazan) Alipour and Mohammad Heydari Mehr, two representatives of the workers of Haft Tapeh Sugar Cane Company, who were arrested and detained last week, have now been taken to court.  They have been charged with “acting against national security”, “acting against the establishment” and “conducting interviews with foreign radios and media”. As of November 12, 2007 these two activists were still incarcerated because they were not able to afford 50 million toman (about $50,000) bail which has been set for their temporary release. Workers in the factory have been opposing any conditional discharges and demand the immediate and unconditional release of their colleagues.  Ghorban Alipour was kidnapped by the intelligent forces and later incarcerated on November 5, 2007 while Mr. Heydari Mehr was summoned to the office of the intelligence Ministry on November 7, 2007 and was subsequently arrested. On November 7^th, morning shift workers gathered in the factory yard to protest the arrest of their representative. Another worker representative, Feridoun Nikoufard, was arrested on October 20, 2007 and after the threats of strike by workers was released.

As of November 12, 2007 these two labour activists were still incarcerated because they were not able to afford 50 million toman (about $50,000) bail which has been set for their temporary release. Workers in the factory have been opposing any conditional discharges and demand the immediate and unconditional release of their colleagues.  According to reports by human rights activists in Iran some interrogators have been transferred to the southern city of Shoush from Tehran to conduct corrective interrogations. These reports indicate that the above two workers have been under interrogation and physical and emotional torture to force them admit wrongdoing and sign guilty statements. 

Workers at the state-owned Haft Tapeh Sugar Cane Company have been on strike for about ten times in less than one year for their unpaid wages and other demands. Each time they have faced repression by security forces as well as empty promises by the company’s management. At times, they were successful in getting some of their unpaid wages and forcing management to accept some of their demands; however, they have been under increasing threats and persecution in recent weeks by the security forces and the intelligence ministry. Workers have openly announced that they are trying to form their independent syndicate, which has been being violently opposed by the government authorities.  No syndicate has yet been formed; thus, workers elect representatives and delegate to negotiate and speak on their behalf. The above arrested workers are amongst some of these representatives. There are over 5000 employees at the Haft Tapeh Sugar cane Company.

Latest report on Ebrahim Madadi:

Mr. Parviz Khorshid has told the semi-official Iranian Student News Agency (ISNA) that he has appealed the verdict issued against his client, Mr. Madadi, by the branch 28 of the Revolutionary Court. Meanwhile, Mr. Madadi has already started serving his two- year jail term with no right to bail.

All independent workers’ organizations and labour rights groups in Iran and abroad have been denouncing the harsh and  unjust sentences against Osanloo and Madadi, demanding the immediate freedom of Osanloo, Madadi, Salehi, Haft Tapeh workers as well as the condemnation of the attempted assassination of Majid Hamidi.  

A week of Action in Support of Jailed Workers in Iran:

More than ten labour Solidarity organizations in support of the Iranian workers’ movement in Europe and North America and Australia, including the IASWI, have issued a joint statement on November 12, 2007 in which they have called for a week of action from November 24-30, 2007 in support of jailed labour activists and the workers’ movement in Iran. In this statement, they have also strongly condemned and opposed any threats of war and economic sanctions by the US government and its allies, which would have disastrous consequences for people and the working class in Iran. The English, French and German translations of this statement will be available soon.

LabourStart- Act NOW!

http://www.labourstart.org/cgi-bin/solidarityforever/show_campaign.cgi?c=295

Iran: Attempted assassination of labour activist

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http://www.labourstart.org/cgi-bin/solidarityforever/show_campaign.cgi?c=295

On the morning of Thursday 18 October, 2007, three masked men shot Majid Hamidi, a 48-year old grocery worker and labour activist in Sanandaj, Iran, seven times in his arm, shoulder and neck. Hamidi was eventually taken to Tehran for specialist surgery and remains in critical condition. Iranian labour activists are convinced that armed attacks of this type are done with the knowledge and support of the government. Already Iranian labour activists face jailings, beatings, and other forms of persecution, including the jailing of labour leaders Mahmoud Salehi, Mansour Osanloo and Ebrahim Madadi, as well as the severe repression of strikers at the state-owned Haft Tapeh sugar cane company. But this represents a considerable escalation. Iran is a member of the International Labour Organization and we call upon the ILO to press the government in Tehran to stop these attacks immediately.

For more information, contact [email protected] or [email protected].

International Alliance in Support of Workers in Iran (IASWI)

Background Information: www.workers-iran.org

http://www.etehadbinalmelali.com/INDEXI.htm