Spontaneous Demonstration on International Labor Day

Roozonline - As the first of May, the international Labor Day, approaches, and while labor unrest is ever present in the country, labor groups in Iran have announced plans to hold demonstrations on this date and noted that if the official permit for a national demonstration is not issued, they will launch a “spontaneous” demonstration.

The ministry of interior has discussed the requests for the demonstration in a meeting and officials have said the issue is “under discussion.”

Workers have said that they plan to raise their current living conditions during the demonstrations. Alireza Mahjoob, the secretary general of Khane Kargar (House of Workers) told ILNA labor news agency yesterday, “If the ministry of interior does not issue the permit for the labor day demonstration, workers will gather to display their support for domestic production and opposing foreign products in Khane Kargar.

The organization that Mahjoob represents has been the subject of criticism by independent and non-affiliate workers organizations for what they call are its cooperation with conservatives and also for confronting independent labor syndicates. “The most important demand of workers from the government in the current year is to the end the curtailments on domestic production in favor of a growth in imports. This is trend is taking place despite the statements of the supreme leader regarding taking effective measures against foreign imports.”

Mahjoob’s conservative remarks about the gathering on the international Labor Day have met with negative remarks on Facebook and Twitter and many labor activists have criticized him for his “conservatism and flattery of ayatollah Khamenei”. According to ILNA, these remarks by Mahjoob who did not join the post election protests in 2009 resulted in Ali Akbar Eyvazi, a member of the board of directors of the Islamic Workers Council in the province of Tehran to take a position that is different from Mahjoob’s, and talk of “spontaneous demonstrations” in opposition to the call for a gathering in the Khane Kargar.

“By not issuing the necessary permit, the government has been acting contrary to its obligations under the International Labor Organization by not issuing and if the permit is not issued this year s well, then ILO will intervene. Some government quarters are preventing the demonstration on international labor day even though article 27 of the constitution provides that the ministry of interior must issue the permit for the demonstration,” he said, and added, “If the ministry of interior does not issue the permit, workers will hold their march spontaneously as provided in article 27 of the constitution.”

Abdollah Mokhtari, another member of the board of directors of the Islamic Workers Council in the province of Tehran echoed the same sentiment. “Article 27 of the constitution obliges the government to issue the permit for the assembly and march of professional workers. Workers not only do not need a permit to demonstrate on labor day, but they can do so any time across the country and express their trade demands, and the government’s obstacles are illegal,” he said.

Rasta Ali Rastgoo, a worker activist in Shiraz told ILNA news agency, “The voice of workers who have lost their positions because of the government’s economic policies must be heard during the demonstrations on international labor day. The ministry of interior has to pay attention to the requests of workers to hold a march on labor day and issue the permit for the march.”

Tabnak website also wrote a piece on the issue under the title “Why workers had to be given the demonstration permit,” in which it argued for the need for this action. “We are not only dealing with a principle that is a legal right, but which is also needed for social-political fulfillment. If we refrain from looking at it from a political perspective then people have the unique opportunity to improve their conditions. This is when a protest in fact an example of (the Islamic principle) supporting the good and refraining from evil. The constitution of our country too has paid attention to this.”

The government has denied such a permit for the last five years. Last year, it announced that it would issue a permit if the demonstrations were held in the deserts around the Behesht Zahra cemetery outside Tehran. Workers rejected the condition.

This year the ministry of interior has said, till now, that it is “looking into the request.”

According to Mehr news agency, minister of labor Mostafa Najjar has said that if a group announces its intention to demonstrate, the issue will be discussed in Article 10 committee and its decision will be announced.

ISNA student news agency also reported that seyed Mohammad Ali Pourmousavi had said, “The request for a permit to demonstrate on international labor day is under consideration. The request has been passed on to the ministry of interior. More details should be pursued from Tehran municipality.”

With less than a week left for the May 1 labor day observance, it is still not clear whether the weakened administration in Tehran will change its record past or continue on the same path and deny the requested permit.