Iran's war on trade unions

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Peter Tatchell writes on how the Iranian Regime is stepping up its war against the working class: trade union activists have been jailed and flogged. This is part of the Regimes wider assault on all dissidents: In Baluchistan alone700 nationalist and human rights campaigners are on death row. Full article at link.

Among those recently jailed were two workers' rights campaigners, Sousan Razani and Shiva Kheirabadi. They have been sentenced to 15 lashes and four months in prison for the "crime" (under Iran's Islamic law) of participating in a May Day celebration in the city of Sanandaj earlier this year. The verdicts were issued by the criminal court of Sanandaj – branch 101.

Mansour Osanloo, leader of Tehran's bus workers syndicate, remains in jail since he was sentenced to five years in July 2007 for his union activities. Nine of his union members have had their dismissal from their jobs upheld by the Islamic courts, which do not recognise trade unions or workers rights. The sacked men had suffered two years of harassment and victimisation for the "crime" of establishing an independent trade union.

The Tehran regime is increasingly hostile to rising working-class militancy, which it fears could become political and turn into a mass movement against the government. The ruling elite are particularly nervous of the possibility that the unions might link up with students, leftwingers, civic organisations and oppressed national minorities (like the Arabs, Kurds and Baluchs) to form a united front for a free and democratic federal state.