Iran: Countdown to the teachers strike!

international | education | other press Thursday February 19, 2009 14:54 by pat c

Its not just in Ireland that teachers have to strike for their basic rights. But in Iran its a lot more dangerous: unions are banned and strikes are illegal. Strikers are often flogged.

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According to reports from teachers in various towns and cities in Iran most teachers are solidly behind the broad-based strike on 21-23 February. The lack of access to the press and the media in general for publicising the strike has meant that news about the country-wide strike has been passed on using SMS, email, personal weblogs and telephone conversations.

On 24 December 1921 the teachers of Tehran went on strike to demand six months’ unpaid wages and union recognition for government employees. Not much seems to have changed since the time of the tyrannical Reza Khan. Yet no matter what kind of regime persecutes workers, and defends the bosses, workers’ unshakeable unity always makes them win strikes and struggles.

Eighty-six years ago the teachers’ unity played a role in forcing the government to resign after three weeks!

Let us hope that this time the teachers have an even bigger victory!

Support the Iranian teachers’ strike!
Long live international solidarity!