Message of British Columbia General Employees’ Union (BCGEU), to the online conference on the eve of May day
Message by Eric Lee, founding Editor of LabourStart
Message of British Columbia General Employees’ Union (BCGEU), to the online conference on the eve of May day
Message by Eric Lee, founding Editor of LabourStart
– Nejat Anwar Hamidi Karun is one of the female prisoners who is in Sepidar prison in Ahvaz. She is 68 years old mother of 4 children and is from Abadan. She is in priosn since 2018, and she is sentenced to 15 years prison. Mrs Nejat Anwar Hamidi is suffering from a severe heart condition and according to expert doctors, she must undergo surgeries. But despite the repeated requests of her family, they refuse to transfer her to the hospital.
Majid Karimi and Masoud Farhikhteh, members of the board of directors of teachers’ organizations in Kurdistan and Islamshahr, were sentenced to three months in prison for participating in protests for their rights. In the court’s decision, the participation of these teachers in protest gatherings, giving speeches and supporting the imprisoned teachers have been mentioned as their crimes. Due to the fact that these two teachers have no criminal record, each of them has been sentenced to a fine of eight million tomans. instead of imprisonment. They were arrested earlier during teachers’ protests and released on bail. While reporting this news and supporting these teachers, the Coordinating Council of Cultural Union Organizations declares that the continuation of these types of sentences against teachers is only rooted in the rulers’ inability to solve the country’s problems and people’s needs.
– On 20th April, Mohammad Sadeghi, a retired teacher and teacher’s union activist, was transferred to Arak prison to serve his one-year sentence. Mohammad Sadeghi was previously sentenced to 3 years and 7 months in prison in the second branch of the Arak Revolutionary Court for the charge of gathering and collusion and to 8 months in prison for the charge of propagandizing against the regime. This sentence was reduced to 1 year of imprisonment. This imprisoned teacher was previously arrested in Arak on the 9th March 2023 and was finally released on bail.
Sooma Pourmohammadi, a Kurdish language teacher and a member of the board of directors of Nozhin cultural and social organization in Sanandaj city, was sentenced to a total of 11 years in prison and exiled to Kermanshah in two separate cases. Previously, Sivan Ebrahimi, a Kurdish language teacher, member of the board of directors of “Nozhin” social cultural association, was sentenced to one year in prison and 40 lashes on the charge of “disturbing public order” and is serving his time in prison. Sivan Ebrahimi stated that the reasons for issuing these orders were “participating in Nozhin Association and its activities”, “supporting the resistance of his wife, Zara Mohammadi”, an activist in the field of his mother language, Kurdish.
The latest news is about Aziz Ghasemzadeh, an imprisoned teacher and singer, who was sent on medical leave for 10 days on March 2023, Aziz Ghasemzadeh was sentenced to one year in prison on the charge of “propaganda against the regime”, but despite the fact that his prison term has ended on 20th March, he has not been released. He should have been released on 20th February 2024 17th, 1402, based on the law.
Free Them Now (FTN) the campaign to free jailed workers in Iran condemns attacks on teachers and workers and demands the unconditional release of all political prisoners and prisoners of conscience.
April21, 2024
UNODC MUST MAKE ANY COOPERATION WITH IRAN CONTINGENT UPON A MORATORIUM ON DRUG-RELATED EXECUTIONS
-Arash Johari , a worker activist who was in prison since 2020, was released yesterday. All political prisoners should release mediately.
– Naomi Kohler, a member of the French teachers’ union, has asked to put pressure on the Islamic Republic to release her sister, Cecile Kohler, who was arrested with her husband Jacques Paris on May 11, 2022 in Tehran, during the trumped up cases of espionage by the Islamic regime. In an interview with Guardian newspaper, she says that she does not know much about his sister’s situation since her arrest. Naomi Kohler said that seeing my sister’s forced confession was the worst day of my life.
In the arrest case of Cecil Kohler and Jacques Paris, a number of teachers and other labor and social activists were also arrested, some of whom are still in prison, namely Rasul Bodaghi, Reza Shahabi, Hassan Saeedi, Keyvan Mohtadi, Anisha Asadollahi.
Cecil Coller and Jacques Parry, and all imprisoned teachers, imprisoned workers and all political prisoners must be released immediately and unconditionally.
– Three teachers from Khuzestan province named Pirouz Nami, Siamak Sadeghi Cheharazi and Ali Kuroshati have been summoned to Ahvaz Revolutionary Court for April 14. Since 2022, these activists have been arrested several times by IRGC intelligence files and each time they have faced a new judicial case. Also, despite the judicial order of the government, their belongings such as phones and laptops, which were confiscated at the time of arrest, have not been returned to them.
While publishing this news and supporting the members of the Khuzestan Teachers’ Union, the Coordinating Council of cultural Trade Unions emphasized that the filings of security institutions can never hinder the organising and protests activities of people and teachers. And until the humanitarian demands of the protesters are met, there will be more widespread protests
– Aziz Ghasemzadeh, one of the protesting teachers in Gilan, was sent back to Lakan prison in Rasht after his leave. He was sent on leave in the middle of March this year. Despite the worsening of his prostate disease, the prosecutor and the judge in charge of Lakan prison in Rasht opposed the extension of his medical leave. Qasimzadeh was sentenced to one year in prison on July 23, 2023. His other conviction on the charge of “propaganda against the system” is permanent dismissal from official jobs. Aziz Ghasemzadeh should be released immediately, his court case should be closed and he should return to work.
Sepideh Qalian, a brave and popular political prisoner, has been on a hunger strike since March 20 this year due to the refusal to agree to her request to be transferred from Evin prison to the prison where her family live in Ahvaz. Sepideh Qalian is the voice of freedom even in prison. Her protest and demands should be widely supported.
– Lucas Hammer, a member of the Austrian parliament and a sponsor of Abbas Derees, a worker sentenced to death and one of the detainees of the popular uprising of 2021 and one of the witnesses of the government massacre in Mahshahr, has written two protest letters demanding the release of Abbas Derees. He has gone to the Embassy of the Islamic Republic of Iran in Vienna and says that Abbas Dearis has not committed a crime and should be released.
– Mohammad Sadeghi, a retired teacher, was arrested after going to the Arak General and Revolutionary Prosecutor’s Office and was transferred to the prison of this city to serve a one-year sentence. But after being in prison for a few hours, he was informed that the execution of his sentence has been postponed and he can leave the prison until further notice.
– Raheleh Rahmipour, social security retiree and a member of the families of plaintiffs and prisoners in Evin, despite her unfavorable physical condition, was denied the necessary medical treatment and hospital treatment, due to her refusal to wear the mandatory hijab.
In the continuation of the pressure and suppression of teachers, Sakine Maleki, one of the teachers of Gilan province (Bandar Anzali), who was previously sentenced to early retirement and two demotions by the decision of the Administrative Violation Committee, on April 3rd, after 28 years of service in educational ministry has been fired by the order of the offense committee. Also, on April 8, another teacher named Salman Mousavi was sentenced to dismissal from service in Lorestan province. Education authority has dismissed Salman Mousavi from his job and suspended his rights and benefits with accusations such as criticizing and protesting against Khamenei and propaganda against the Islamic Republic..
Today, March 17, the third-pillar workers of oil and gas sectors of Gachsaran started a protest rally to pursue their demands. Yesterday, these workers gathered in Aghajari Oil and Gas Exploitation Company. The protests of third-pillar workers are becoming more widespread every day, and the removal of contractors is one of their important demands. The main demands of third-pillar workers are: removal of discrimination in payments, especially in the way of payment of oil-card payment,equal to other oil units, complete removal of contracting agencies as middlemen in providing manpower.
On the other hand, the protests of the oil formal workers continue and on this day, the formal workers also gathered in the Aghajari Oil and Gas Exploitation Company. The main demands of these workers are: dismissal of corrupt officials, removal of the salary ceiling, modification of the salary floor, removal of the limitation of benefits of retirement years, full implementation of Article 10 and payment of its arrears, non-separation of jobs in operational areas and non-encroachment on the oil pension fund.
An interview with Kazem Nik Khah head of Free Them Now international relations, by Eric Lee the founding editor of Labourstart, an international online news service for the workers movement
In this interview the situation of workers movement in Iran is discussed
A wave of protests by nurses has started in Iran Today, March 10, nurses and medical staff in Bushehr city gathered and turned the area in front of Imam of Friday Prayer’s office into the scene of their protest in protest against the low level of salaries and poor living conditions, heavy work pressure and forced overtime. The nurses demanded the resignation of the officials with their slogans and shouted: “We don’t want forced extra work, we won’t come”.
In line with these issues, the nurses of Farvardin 12 Kohnuj Hospital announced their resignation en masse.
On March 9th, nurses and medical staff of all Shiraz city hospitals gathered and protested. This move has attracted a lot of attention in the city and region. Their previous rally was held on March 4th. Before that too, there was the nationwide gatherings of nurses.
The protests of the formal oil workers against the government’s livelihood attacks continue. Today, March 10, the workers of the Aghajari Oil and Gas Exploitation Company gathered again. Before that, on March 7, these workers gathered at the Falat Ghareh Company in Lawan and expressed their protest about their wages, benefits and working conditions.
The demands of formal oil workers are national and include: dismissal of incompetent and corrupt managers, salary floor modification, removal of the limitation of retirement benefit years, full implementation of Article 10 and payment of its arrears, non-separation of jobs in operational areas and non-encroachment on the oil pension fund.
Today, March 04, a large number of nurses and medical staff of Shiraz hospitals gathered and marched for the third week in a row, to protest against the non-addressing of their demands. Nurses’ protest against low and unrealistic discriminatory tariffs, forced overtime and, according to them, no pay work and empty promises of officials.
According to the news, nurses were supposed to gather in the hall of the University of Medical Sciences on this day and their questions and demands be answered by the president of this university. But the nurses, who did not get their answer and faced with the inappropriate and humiliating tone of the university president, got angry and started gathering again and chanted the slogan “Protest turns into a strike”. The protest slogans of Shiraz nurses in their gatherings include: “Nurse, shout for your rights”, “Incompetent manager resign, resign”, “We fought with Corona, we did not get support”, “We will get, we will get, we will get our rights”.
Nurses are popular in society among the people. Their demands are directly related to the standard of treatment and health at the community level. Support their protests and demands widely.
According to the reports by the Council for Organizing Protests of Unofficial Oil Workers (Third pillars), today, March 3rd, the protest gatherings of third-pillar workers continued in the refineries of “South Pars” Gas Complex for pursuing their demands. According to these reports, the protests of these workers were widespread the previous day, and in some phases of the refinery, the workers refused to eat from the canteens and didn’t take rest at noon and continued their protest gatherings in front of the office building. The main demands of the workers of the third pillars of South Pars are:
The complete removal of contracting companies is a common demand of all oil workers. These intermediary agents take a big chunk of the workers’ wages for doing nothing. Besides, the modification and full implementation of the job classification plan, the salary increase and full payment of not paid wages and benefits without discrimination, and the benefit of the same welfare as other sections of the oil, etc.
The formal workers too gathered at the Falat Ghareh Company in Lawan to continue their struggle and to pursue their demands On the first of March, according to the news published on the Telegram channel of the Council for Organizing Protests of Contractual Oil Workers.These workers had already gathered on the 23th of February this year for the same demands.
Formal oil workers also gathered on the 26th February at the Falat Ghareh Company in Khark and on the 25th February in Siri. The main demands of the formal oil workers are: dismissal of corrupt managers, removal of the salary ceiling, modification of the salary floor, removal of the limitation of retirement pays, full implementation of Article 10 and payment of its arrears, non-separation of jobs in operational areas, and stop embezzlement of the oil pension fund.
The formal workers of at Maron Petrochemical in Ramshir also went on strike on February 28th in protest of unpaid wages for 4 months and the payment of their insurance premiums to social security.
According to the reports published on the 27th February, the strike of the workers of the third pillars in the sixth refinery of South Pars entered its fourth day in order to pursue their declared demands. On the 25th of February, these workers gathered in the 6th, 8th and 10th refineries. The main demands announced by the workers of the third pillars of South Pars are: elimination of contracting companies, full implementation of job classification plan and increase in wages and benefits, etc.
While reflecting these news, the organizing council of oil contract workers’ protests has announced its support for the struggles of various sectors of the oil workers.