Three Thousand Iranian Union Activists Sign Petition Protesting Violations of Teachers’ and Workers’ Rights

Amid intensified pressure on labor activists and teachers in Iran, three thousand union activists have signed a petition addressed to the delegations of participating countries in the annual session of the International Labour Organization, demanding the immediate and unconditional dismissal of all charges against imprisoned union activists in Iran.

The signatories of this petition have asked participants in the International Labour Organization’s annual session to place the issue of violations of the rights of teachers and labor activists “specifically” on the agenda of the meeting.

They have called for the expulsion of the government-made representatives of the Islamic Republic from the International Labour Organization session and the unconditional release of detained union members, including teachers and workers.

Peyman Shojairati, a labor activist, told the Farsi section of Voice of America on Monday, June 9, that this petition was prepared at the initiative of the Coordination Council of Teachers’ Professional Organizations in Tehran, and more than three thousand people have signed it so far.

According to Mr. Shojairati, the economic policies of the Islamic Republic have imposed poverty on wage earners, including workers and teachers, but the government, instead of solving livelihood problems, resorts to suppression and detention.

Referring to the fact that nearly 40 teachers have been recently arrested, he said the situation of workers is the same, either they have been detained or cases have been filed against them.

Peyman Shojairati, stating that the International Labour Organization and its members are aware through reports and letters of what is happening to Iranian workers and the government’s non-compliance with treaties, emphasized: “However, the International Labour Organization has always compromised with the Islamic Republic, and conflict of interests causes these institutions to turn a blind eye to workers’ issues.” Yesterday, the Hamedan Teachers’ Association, in a statement supporting imprisoned teachers and protesting against “case-building” against them, warned officials that “negligence and inattention to the demands of the educators’ society will lead to deepening protests and spreading dissatisfaction.”

According to a report by the Iranian Teachers’ Professional Channel, in this statement released on Sunday, June 8, it was emphasized that authorities cannot “with such unfounded accusations, divert the path of the teachers’ rights-seeking movement in the country.”

Source: Voice of America