Australian unions join world-wide protest demanding union rights for Iranian workers

13 June 2009

Four global union organisations representing over 170 million workers have called a worldwide action day on June 26 to demand justice for Iranian workers.

Demonstrations will take place outside Iranian embassies and consulates across the globe to protest the ongoing denial of rights and arrests of trade unionists within the country.

Australian demonstrations to support global campaign

In Australia unions and community organisations will rally outside the Iranian embassy in Canberra at midday on Friday June 26 - with several unions planning to take supporters from Sydney and Melbourne for the rally.

Amnesty International has backed this campaign which has been organised by:

• The ITUC (International Trade Union Confederation),

• EI (Education International),

• ITF (International Transport Workers' Federation), 

• IUF (International Union of Food, Agricultural, Hotel, Restaurant, Catering, Tobacco and Allied Workers' Associations)

Supporting jailed, tortured unionists

They are calling for the immediate and unconditional release of jailed trade union members and leaders including:

• Mansour Osanloo,
• Ebrahim Madadi,
• Farzad Kamangar.

The global rallies will also call for the annulment of the one year prison sentences recently handed down against the five leaders of the Haft Tapeh Sugarworkers' Union, as well as the release of trade unionists arrested in Tehran on May Day.

Guy Ryder, ITUC General Secretary explained: "Each of these organisations has campaigned to protect their colleagues in Iran, and now we are all joining forces to do it even more effectively."

Repression and arrests respond to request for reasonable dialogue

"We have exhausted all avenues of reasonable dialogue to persuade the government of Iran to allow basic human and trade union rights. Their answer has been repression and arrests.

" Given this failure we must take to the streets to demonstrate that the world is watching what they are doing and what is happening to our colleagues within the country."

This year police, security and plain-clothes forces assaulted masses of workers and their families at a peaceful rally held in Laleh Park in Tehran on May Day.

Workers want independent, democratic unions not fundamentalist Islamic unions

The rally was to celebrate the international day of workers, and demonstrate their demands for workers rights and freedom to establish independent democratic trade unions in Iran.

At the moment the regime forces workers to join their Islamic unions and Workers' Houses - whose main purpose is to inculcate workers and their families into their brand of fundamentalist Islam.

More than 40 workers still in prison over May Day protests

The security forces attacked and injured many people and arrested and jailed more than 150 people, many of whom were badly injured. Over 40 workers still remain in prison.

These working people had committed no offence, but have been subjected to cruelty, suppression, jail and inhuman treatments. They continue to be detained in appalling conditions.

The authorities are remaining silent on the fate of these imprisoned workers, although their families gather every day in front of the courthouses and judiciary departments seeking answers.