IUF, ITUC Call for ILO Action on Jailed Iranian Sugar Union Leaders

Posted to the IUF website 04-Dec-2009

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The IUF and ITUC have together lodged a formal complaint against the government of Iran with the ILO's Committee on Freedom of Association in response to the recent imprisonment of 5 leaders of the independent Haft Tapeh Sugar Workers Union, an IUF affiliate.

The complaint reviews the serial violations of basic rights at Haft Tapeh, where worker efforts to take collective action in response to non-payment of wages and other abuses have repeatedly met with repression, in the light of ILO Conventions setting out the rights of workers to freedom of association, the right to organize and to the right to collective bargaining. The complaint calls on the government of Iran to release the jailed leaders, to reinstate them at their jobs (all were officially fired on December 1 for "failure to report to work" while in prison) and to revoke the bans prohibiting them from trade union work.

Amnesty International has adopted the jailed trade unionists as prisoners of conscience.

Act Now! - CLICK HERE to send a message to the Iranian state and judicial authorities, calling on them to immediately and unconditionally release the jailed unionists and annul their sentences, and drop all charges against Reza Rakhshan. Please note that some messages may bounce back - do not be discouraged! Server overload is a common condition in Iran - some messages will get through, making the point that the persecuted trade unionists enjoy international support.

You can also send a message to the Iranian embassy or diplomatic representation in your country - or pay them a visit! A complete list of embassies/consulates is available here, and you can generally find e-mail addresses by searching the internet for the individual representation in your country.