To the representatives of independent labor unions, separate from the government and employers, present at the 2023 conference of the International Labor Organization,
June 02, 2023.
Warm greetings,
I am Reza Shahabi, a driver at the Tehran and Suburbs Bus Company and a member of the board of directors of the Workers’ Syndicate of the Tehran and Suburbs Bus Company. From behind the walls and intertwined bars of my Evin Prison cell, I send my greetings to you, the representatives of independent labor unions separate from employers and the government, present at this conference.
Since 2004, from the reopening of our syndicate, my colleagues and I have been repeatedly arrested, dismissed, imprisoned, and tortured. From 2010 to 2017, we faced the following:
– Struggles for union rights
– Fighting for workers’ rights
– Striving for a humane and dignified existence
Under false accusations and fabricated cases, we were subjected to the most severe suppression. Personally, during this period, I was in prison and underwent surgery due to the beatings and torture inflicted on my neck and back.
In April 2022, due to conversations and collaboration with fellow drivers and members of the Workers’ Syndicate of the Tehran and Suburbs Bus Company, as well as trade unions, including two members of the French Teachers’ Syndicate, trade union activists, retirees, writers, women, and students, once again, due to trade union activities and demanding justice and protesting the deplorable conditions of wages, livelihood, housing, health, and education for workers, we faced fabricated cases and false and baseless accusations, following the International Workers’ Day of 2022. Some of us are still in prison, while others are awaiting the unjust verdicts:
Reza Shahabi, Davoud Razavi, Hassan Saeedi from the Workers’ Syndicate of the Tehran and Suburbs Bus Company,
Keyvan Mahatdi and Anisha Asadollahi, English language instructors and translators of the Workers’ Syndicate of the Tehran and Suburbs Bus Company,
Rihaneh Ansarinejad, labor activist, Zhaleh Rouhzad, retired teachers’ activist,
Rasoul Badaghi, Jafar Ebrahimi, Mohammad Habibi, Masoud Nikkhah, Eskandar Lutfi, Shaban Mohammadi from the Teachers’ Guilds, as well as some supporters and children of workers.
Dear comrades and fellow workers,
The governing system in our country, since its establishment, has suppressed and oppressed all workers and wage earners. Its first act was to eliminate independent labor unions and workers’ organizations from the labor law and replace them with government-controlled and rhetoric-based organizations such as the Workers’ House, the Islamic Labor Council, and the Workers’ Assembly. All of these operate under the supervision and direction of the government, functioning as secret police within factories and workshops. They do not allow the voice of workers’ protests to be heard, and instead, they identify and report protesting workers to security forces or management. For example, in the Tehran Bus Company, Islamic Labor Councils reported protesting drivers to the security forces and the Provincial Security Council, which resulted in the expulsion of workers demanding their rights and justice through fabricated charges in disciplinary committees. We are among those expelled workers. Our expulsion was due to the establishment of a union based on the International Labor Organization’s conventions and our demand for a fair and decent life, as well as the implementation of job classification for difficult and hazardous occupations. We were unjustly accused, detained, and imprisoned based on false reports by some members of the Islamic Labor Councils and the Workers’ House. Currently, while we have been in prison for over a year, new cases have been opened against Hassan Saeedi, Keyvan Mahtadi, and myself.
Dear friends,
In your assembly, there are representatives who appear to be workers from Iran. However, they are not genuine representatives of Iranian workers because they have not been elected through a democratic process free from coercion, fear of expulsion by management, security forces, or employers. These individuals, if there has been any semblance of elections, have been introduced solely for their own interests and to benefit from government privileges and subsidies as instructed by employers and the government. They have never stood by the workers; on the contrary, they have consistently acted against the interests of workers in all instances. It is no secret that they are tools and instruments in the hands of employers and the government’s security apparatus. They serve as signing machines to approve the expulsion of workers and to legitimize the oppressive processes against the working class.
The plight of workers in Iran is immense and beyond your imagination, dear comrades. Our final word to you, our fellow workers, is as follows:
A country that signs international labor conventions and agreements, including the fundamental conventions of the International Labor Organization that are mandatory for all member states, not only fails to enforce them but also creates even harsher and more inhumane conditions for all toilers and wage earners, both men and women, in all workshops, schools, hospitals, contracting companies, and private enterprises.
Furthermore, rampant inflation resulting from profit-driven and rent-seeking policies has left the worker in a state of economic powerty, to the extent that even while employed, they cannot afford basic expenses such as housing rent. Yet, they must endure these inhumane conditions out of fear of expulsion, imprisonment, and lashings. The worker, who not only lacks a voice in international assemblies held in their name but also witnesses that this institution has also fallen into the hands of the creators of these oppressive living conditions.
A country that does not allow the formation of independent trade unions and organizations, turns the right to strike into a security offense, denies the right of workers to elect their representatives through a democratic process, and whenever the voice of workers’ protest rises, it responds with expulsion, imprisonment, lashings, and torture. This very security apparatus dispatches its appointed and puppet representatives under the guise of independent workers’ representatives to international forums, including the conferences of the International Labor Organization. How is it possible for an individual to be the Secretary-General of the “Workers’ House” for 3 decades? While simultaneously serving as a six-time parliament member, which has the strictest appointed filters? And during all this time, countless resolutions against workers have been adopted. How is it that the members of the “Workers’ House” and the Islamic Labor Councils have directly participated in the suppression of the General Assembly of bus company workers and consider it an honor to serve the government, yet they still present themselves as elected representatives of the workers? How can one trust these individuals to be selected for higher positions within the International Labor Organization?
I urge each and every esteemed worker representative at the International Labor Organization assembly to pay attention to the demands of oppressed and unjustly treated workers in Iran, who strive to survive under unequal conditions with the bare minimum of resources. During this time, the world has witnessed the deplorable events of extreme injustice, exploitation, and infinite violence against laborers, youth, women, and minorities in this land. No longer can repetitive accusations such as security cases or other pretexts cover up the blood-stained hands of these gentlemen. We ask you to stand by the workers of Iran and:
– Do not accept these security officials who have been sent as representatives of Iranian workers to the International Labor Organization on the Board of Directors or in labor committees, etc.
– Demand their expulsion.
– Advocate publicly for the release of all imprisoned workers and labor activists in Iran,
– Demand the full implementation of the International Labor Organization’s conventions in Iran, particularly regarding the right to organize, collective bargaining, and freedom of association.
In solidarity,
Reza Shahabi,
Evin Prison, Tehran
June 2, 2023