On 15th November 2018, the Coordinating Council of the Teachers’ Associations of Iran published a statement detailing the issues teachers face and calls for another two-day nationwide strike on 13th and 14th November 2018.
To stop the strike, the authorities arrested some of the teachers and took some of them for questioning at Intelligence Services, Intelligence Organisation of Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps, or Police Intelligence. Coordinating Council of the Teachers’ Associations of Iran reports that so far,
- 30 teachers have been taken for questioning
- 50 teachers have received threatening messages
- 12 teachers have been arrested.
Name of the teachers who have recently been arrested:
From North Khorasan province: Mohamadreza Ramazanzadeh, Saeed Haghparast, Ali Forotan, Hamidreza Rajaie, Hosein Ramazanpour – their whereabouts is not known
From Khorasan province: Mohamad Robati, Azami
From Khuzestan province: Pirouz Namie, Ali Kroshat
From Arak province: Mohamadali Zahmatkesh, Mohamd Kurd, Fatemeh Bahmani,
Despite the arrests, persecutions, intimidations and harassments the teachers went ahead with their strike, which expanded to 60 cities in Iran.
Coordinating Council of the Teachers’ Associations of Iran in their strike statement on 8th November 2018 wrote: “as you all know, the education system in Iran faces a grave crisis and many challenges, and the authorities show no interest in solving them, otherwise they wouldn’t close their ears and eyes to the demands of the teachers. We have had many meetings, written many letters, have had many petitions, held assemblies and picket lines but we haven’t seen a single positive move from the government and members of the parliament.”
In the statement, the Coordinating Council pointed out that the authorities not only ignore the teachers’ demands, but that they are in the process of imposing new contracts that exploit the teachers even more than before. It also mentions the unfair and insulting attitude of some of the members of parliament towards the teachers.
The Coordinating Council outlined the teachers’ demands for fair contracts and working conditions, free education for all, an end to the persecution and oppression of teachers and the release of all detained teachers.
It is evident that Islamic Republic of Iran has no regards whatsoever for workers’ rights, is not open to any negotiation with workers, has no regards for workers’ welfare, and utilises its armed forces, intelligence services, and judiciary to silence the workers who have some legitimate demands. Such regime must not have any representation in International Labour Organisation.
We urge all international labour organisations, human rights organisations, progressive political parties, and all labour organisation and teachers’ associations to condemn the Islamic regime for the arrests, persecutions and harassment, and to demand immediate and unconditional release of the detained teachers.
We urge all to demand immediate expulsion of Islamic Republic of Iran from ILO. The longer this regime stays on the more workers end up behind bars and the more lives are destroyed.
shahla.Daneshfar2@gmail.com
November16, 2018
https://free-them-now.com