Bus worker union activists jailed in Iran

by Makhno Tue Nov 06, 2007 13:02

This is what the ITF had to say. Irish Unions affiliated to the ITF include: ATGWU, SIPTU, IMPACT.

The ITF yesterday issued a condemnatory press statement in response to reports that Iranian trade union leader, Mansour Osanloo, had been sentenced to five years’ imprisonment. Osanloo, has been in detention in Evin prison in Tehran since 10 July and was only briefly released earlier this month to undergo urgent medical treatment on his eye.

In the statement, ITF General Secretary David Cockroft said: “For two years Mansour Osanloo has fought back against the Iranian regime’s brutality. Now they are trying to crush him with spurious accusations of endangering national security and criticising the regime. We know – the world knows – that Mansour’s only crime in their eyes is to have asserted his right to belong to a trade union.”

by Leon T Tue Nov 06, 2007 14:31

This is all very well but don't you realise that the US is on the verge of attacking Iran and this stuff just distracts from the need to defend Iran from Us imperialism.

by DM Tue Nov 06, 2007 15:27

This is a link to the Amnesty Campaign on the issue and there's a petition i'd urge you all to sign

http://www.amnesty.org.uk/content.asp?CategoryID=10989

by Frankie G Tue Nov 06, 2007 16:23

Leon T (rotsky?) wrote:

"This is all very well but don't you realise that the US is on the verge of attacking Iran and this stuff just distracts from the need to defend Iran from Us imperialism."

If it's true then it is not just distraction. Neither Iran, nor any country should be allowed to jail union activists under arcane laws simply for trying to secure workers rights.

And far from being more fuel for the neo-con plan to attack Iran, this can be used to argue against that. The fact that, while Iran is not the nicest regime in the world, people are still able to openly protest, strike, and many do though the price of doing so is considerably higher than doing the same thing here in Ireland.
How many times have students recently protested Ahmadjinejad at his recent visits to Iranian college campuses this year? There is industrial unrest in a few industries in Iran as well.
Ahmadjinejad may be the neo-cons latest poster boy for the Axis of Evil, but in truth he's a figurehead and a fool who says stupid things (like Bush) but unlike Bush, he doesn't have his finger on the nuke button, and he's not running a seriously iron fisted police state, like Iran experienced under the US imposed and supported Shah of Iran, with his CIA trained SAVAK and their Gestapo like intolerance of dissent. Nor is Iran as iron fisted an undemocratic as that US ally and violator of human rights, Saudi Arabia.
It is entirely possible for the people of Iran to push for reform of Iranian politics and society, over the next few years.
On the other hand it is almost impossible that Iran would become a more open society as a result of a US or US/UK/Israeli air strike.
Just look at Iraq. Despite having over 4 million people displaced by war, over a million dead, and lots of newspapers closed by the occupiers (not to mention the bombing of Al Jazeera's offices) the Iraqis continue to struggle for their rights. Oil workers strike to prevent the oil industry and infrastructure being taken over lock stock and barrel by US private companies.
THATs what brings democracy, not F16s dropping bombs.

by Chris A.Bond - Labour Party & ATGWU (personal Capacity). Tue Nov 06, 2007 18:23

None of us who are calling for trade union rights in Iran are Nieve to the fact that the US is trying to invade Iran. I dont accept that there is a time when the struggle for thread union rights must be silent. If you believe in workers rights, then you strife to uphold them all of the time and not some of the time. Iran needs to be defended from US imperialsim but at the same time Iranian workers need our solidarity, Iran being under siege is no excuse for its treatment of workers. The Values of Socialism can not be played off against each other, we cannot go back on the views which make us socialist in the name of furthering socialism.

by Makhno Tue Nov 13, 2007 10:07

The Syndicate of Workers of the Tehran and Suburban Bus (Vahed) Company have a website in English at:
http://www.syndicavahed.com/english.htm

This is their latest statement:

The Syndicaye Sherkat-e Vahed once again expresses its deep appreciations to our trade union brothers and sisters in the Middle East and North Africa , who expressed their solidarity to Mansour Osaloo and Ebrahim Madadi, the Chairperson and the Vice President of our union after his arrest in July 2007. Your messages of support posted on our website and the ITF website in English, Arabic and Farsi , were most encouraging and empowered us to keep our unity in the times of difficulties.

As you know, in our statement , we strongly condemned the unfair verdicts to Mansour Osaloo and Ebrahim Madadi on 3 November 2007 , and requested all the international trade union organisations to react seriously to this unfair and anti-workers ruling globally.

We address this special message to you as we learnt that the annual meeting of the Coordinating Committtee of the ITUC affiliates in the Middle East and North African would be held in Brussels next week. We sincerely hope that our brothers and sisters from the region will be on the forefront in expressing their solidarity towards the Syndicaye Sherkat-e Vahed and continue to their Solidarity Campaign globally for the immediate and unconditional release of Mansour Osanloo and Ebrahim Madadi.

With hope for peace and justice in the world
Syndicate of Workers of the Tehran and Suburban Bus Company, Vahed

Mansour Osanloo and Ebrahim Madadi.