Ottawa June 22th, 2017
Ms. Sharan Burrow,eneral Secretary,International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC)
(Address)
Subject: Dismissal of Iranian representatives in ILO meetings due to severe violation of
Iranian Labour’s rights
Sister,
As you certainly know, the regime in Iran continues its persecution of workers’ activists. These activists are in prison purely for their union involvement.
In Iran workers, labor activists and teachers have long term imprisonments for vague charges such as “conspiracy or activity against national security” and “disturbing country’s peace” and there are tens more who are subject to prison charges and false accusations. Workers’ circumstances in Iran and severe crackdowns of their demands are amongst the most inhumane situations.
All these violations happen when every year a committee from Iran’s government participates in the annual meeting of the International Labor Organization labors’ representative and convey a view grossly inconsistent with the actual conditions of workers in Iran and we object and question the appeasement of the international labor organization in this issue.
Iran’s government tends to blind Iranians and the international organizations by creating an extremely anti-labour rights organization called the “Supreme Assembly of Iranian Workers” and they put workers under severe repression and imprison workers real representatives.
Currently, Esmail Abdi, a well-known teacher activist, and Atena Daemi, a well-known child, and women’s rights activist, and hundreds of political activists are imprisoned in Iran. The ITUC must call for the release of all political workers in Iran.
Ms. General Secretary,
On behalf of 52,000 members of the Canadian Union of Postal Workers (CUPW), I am writing to you to express great concern about the rights of workers in Iran. It is not the first time I write letters concerning the situation in Iran. And nothing changes. I think it is time to go further. It is why I am asking you to demand the dismissal, from the International Labour Organization (ILO), of Iran labour’s representatives.
I believe that discarding the Iranians from the meetings of the ILO is an important step in getting Iranian workers voice to the world.
In Solidarity,
Mike Palecek
President,
Canadian Union of Postal Workers (CUPW – STTP)