May Day this year in Iran showed a broad political movement by workers and retirees against poverty and corruption, against death penalty, and against the government, and it emphasized the continuation of the woman, life freedom revolution. Movements and discourse of May Day and to celebrate the International Labour Day began widely in the weeks before. A day before May 1st and on the occasion of International labour Day, a number of industrial companies in Tehran, Qazvin, Alborz and Semnan stopped work to commemorate May Day. In some companies, work was stopped for an hour. The protest atmosphere was very explosive in the days before May 1 with the publication of the death sentence for Toomaj Salehi the popular rapper and because of the government and assaults on women for imposing compulsory Islamic veil. The “woman, life freedom” network, which includes student activists, youths and pupils, had called for a national strike and protests.
In Tehran on May 1, a crowd of social security retirees gathered in Tehran on the occasion of May Day, and had speeches and protest slogans.
In Mashhad, social security pensioners started gathering and marching with the slogan, “Livelihood, dignity is our inalienable right”.
Haft Tappeh sugarcane workers stopped working for hours on this day and celebrated International Workers’ Day by rallying, giving speeches and chanting slogans. In this rally, the workers chanted against management and privatization and emphasized the unity of the workers. Ebrahim Abbasi, one of the well-known workers of Haft Tappeh, gave a speech on this occasion and called all the workers to unite against the greedy capitalist and said that our first priority is to return to the work of Ismail Bakshi, who was fired because of his defence of workers’ rights, and the workers will not be silent until he returns to work.
In Kermanshah, teachers and national and social security retirees gathered on the occasion of May Day and defended the universal rights of workers and all retirees and people. The retirees chanted slogans against the ruling system and corruption and the ruling system of theft.
In Arak, a large crowd of social security retirees marched on May 1. Pensioners gathered in front of the social security building and chanted slogans. This gathering had a direct impact on the atmosphere of Arak city and attracted a lot of attention. The protesters sang the song “We won’t live under oppression, we give life for freedom” and chanted for the release of Toomaj Salehi and other prisoners.
In Shush, Pars paper workers who have been protesting since two weeks ago, gathered and protested again on May 1st and honoured May 1st by holding the International Labour Day banner and shouting their slogans and pursued their demands. These workers announced that they will not give up until they get their rights.
In Iran, Teacher’s Day is set one day after Labour Day, and teacher’s organizations had called for gatherings and protests in this day. In this day teachers gathered in 16 cities and celebrated the teacher’s day and at the same time celebrated the international workers day. They had speeches, they chanted protest slogans and defended Toomaj Salehi and talked against death penalty for him.
Also, the three organizations of the Coordinating Council of Cultural Trade Unions, the Tehran Bus union and the Free Union of Iranian Workers, published a joint statement. These organizations in their statement emphasized on continuation of the “woman life freedom” movement; They also emphasized on the promotion, expansion and implementation of the charter of minimum demands of trade unions and civil organizations and against assaults on women.
The Iranian Writers’ Union, while celebrating the International Workers’ Day, has expressed its support for the workers’ demands and demands the release of all imprisoned workers and labour activists in prison, including Keyvan Mohtadi, a member of the Iranian Writers’ Union. Previously, eight labor and social organizations published the May 1st Covenant and by emphasizing the charter of demands of twenty organizations published in 2022, They emphasized the six urgent demands of the whole society today and took a strong and clear position against executions, war against women and livelihood attacks. One main point of this covenant is an immediate halt to executions and the unconditional release of all political prisoners, the abolition of sexual apartheid, and an end to the war against women because of the Islamic hijab.
Summons and threats
The Islamic regime summoned and threatened a number of teachers, on May day out of fear of the teachers’ movements. Among them, Esmail Abdi, a well-known teacher’s figure who has been in prison for years, was summoned and threatened. In addition, 17 teachers and union activists were summoned and threatened in Sanandaj city. Two days before that, on April 30, one of the teachers named Khalid Ahmadi was arrested in Sanandaj. These summons and threats were to prevent the celebration of Workers’ Day and Teacher’s Day.
In short, it can be said that despite the threats and repressions of the Islamic regime, holding May Day has become a social and nationwide tradition in Iran and workers, teachers and people pay attention to it, and this is an important and a historic political development in Iran. .
Free Them Now
May 1, 2024