Tehran Bus Workers challenge the authorities in Iran

The following report has been received from the Worker-communist Party of Iran-Hekmatist about the Tehran Bus workers strike and the imprisonment of its leaders.
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For a brief period, before the Islamic counter revolutionaries consolidated their power, workers in Iran enjoyed a period of relative freedom. Workers’ councils, unions and syndicates sprung up in work places. These independent workers organisation exercised a great deal of power within their industries and work places. In certain places they went as far as taking over the control and management of their units. This situation lasted until summer of 1981 when the Islamic counter revolution seized the initiative and began a systematic offensive against the workers. In a bloody and ruthless onslaught, by arresting, torturing and murdering thousands of labour activists and leading figures within the labour movement they managed to destroy all the workers’ organisations and install their own puppet Islamic councils. These agent organisations were instrumental in purging the workplaces of real and radical workers’ leaders. It took the regime many years and the pretext of a bloody war with Iraq to establish its authorities in workplaces.

For almost three years, from 1979 to 1981, workers at Tehran and Suburbs Vahed Bus Company were organised in an independent Syndicate. The syndicate was actively engaged in promoting workers trade rights and defending their wage and working conditions. Unfortunately the Islamic government disbanded the Syndicate and arrested its leaders and officials in 1981.

Twenty two years later, in 2003, a movement to resurrect the Syndicate was launched. After much painstaking and sacrifices finally in June 2005, in the face of a consorted campaign of intimidation, harassment and destruction of property and resources of the workers at the hands of the Iranian authorities, the first General Assembly of the Bus company’s workers was held and the activities of “Syndicate of Workers of Tehran and Suburbs Vahed Bus Company” launched. At the time of its first General assembly 8000 workers had signed up. Its membership has now exceeded 10,000 workers. The entire workforce of the Vahed Bus company, in Tehran and Suburbs, are in the region of 17,000. At its constituent General assembly, a Management Committee of 19 people -and 9 substitute members- as well as an inspection team comprising of three members with two substitute members were elected to manage the syndicate. This syndicate remained unrecognised by the government.

The stand off between the workers and the authorities came to a head on December 22, 2005. In an early morning raid on the homes of seven members of the Management Committee including the secretary of the committee, Mr Mansour Osanlou, were arrested. Later that evening a further six people were arrested. The offices and properties of the Syndicate and the personal computers of some those arrested were also confiscated and taken away. Later that evening six more workers were arrested and imprisoned.

The initial charges filed against these workers were stated as “setting up an illegal organisation and attempts to organise a strike”.

The following day the Bus Company workers staged a protest sit-in and announced that they will go on strike if their colleagues are not freed immediately. The sit-in continued on Saturday December 24. By that time the news of the arrest of the Syndicate leaders had spread and a widespread support from different sections of the workers as well as members of the public and students had been generated. The protesting workers issued warnings of declaring a strike should their colleagues not be released immediately. The bus workers strike on Sunday December 25, seemed inevitable.

The Bus workers’ strike began earlier in the morning of December 25. The strike ground the capital to a halt. It struck a panic in the heart of the authorities. All possible measures were taken to lessen the impact of the strike. They mobilised all the state’s vehicles and their militia forces. Unable to deal with the strike the regime resorted to their usual ploy and adopted a policy of partial retreat and compromise.

Later that day, at 11pm, the mayor of Tehran intervened and in a meeting attended by 4000 strong striking workers. The mayor announced that the director of the bus company has been sacked and he himself taken over the operation of the bus Company. The mayor undertook to meet all the demands of the workers by Thursday. On Wednesday 6 out of the 13 detainees were released. Further sit-in and gatherings in front of the notorious Even prison forced the authorities to release all but Mansour Osanlou, the Secretary of the Syndicate.

As of today, January 6, 2006, Mansour Osanlou is still behind bars. The office of the syndicate is locked up and its properties confiscated.

This struggle is still continuing. The workers did not achieve their goals. Regardless of the ultimate outcome of this round of confrontation, the working class in Iran has registered an important victory. This was only a battle the war is yet to start.

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Submitted by Pete on Sat, 07/01/2006 - 12:04

To: All trade unions and labour organisations and pro-human rights individuals and institutions

As I informed you in my previous press release, on December 22, 2005, the Iranian authorities arrested the Secretary and the members of the executive committee of the Syndicate of Workers of Tehran Bus Company-Vahed. Following a widespread protests and a one day strike on December 25, all the detainees except Mr Mansour Osanlou, the Secretary of the Syndicate, were released . Mr Osanlou has been accused of attempting to form an illegal organisation and organise strikes.

Mr Osanlou has been in solitary confinement since his arrest. According to various statements circulating it is believed that Mr Osanlou has been put under pressure to go on Television and confess to links to foreign powers and attempting to purchase weapons.

These latest developments point to a worrying conspiracy aimed at Mr Osanlou and the Bus Workers Syndicate. Mr Osanlou’s life and the continuation of the Tehran Bus Workers Syndicate activities depends, apart from active support of the workers in Iran, on your urgent actions. We call on you to redouble your efforts and do whatever possible to put pressure on the Iranian government to release Mr Osanlou.

Respectfully yours

Rahman Hosseinzade
On behalf of: Worker-communist Party of Iran-Hekmatist
December 31, 2005

Submitted by Pete on Tue, 31/01/2006 - 17:09

Letter of above and the Worker Communist party of Iraq
to ILO authorities in the Demonstration of 31.January 2006 in Geneva

To / - International Labour Office –ILO
- Freedom of Association (LIBSYND) –ILO
libsynd@ilo.org
-Official Relations Branch - ILO
E-mail: RELOFF@ilo.org
4, route des Morillons, CH-1211 Geneva 22
Switzerland, Fax: +41.22.798.8685, E-mail: ilo@ilo.org

Dear Sirs and Madams,

In 2003, the first General Assembly of the Bus Company’s workers was held and the activities of “Syndicate of Workers of Tehran and Suburbs Vahed Bus Company” launched. At the time of its first General assembly 8000 workers had signed up. Its membership has now exceeded 10,000 workers. The entire workforce of the Vahed Bus Company, in Tehran and Suburbs, are in the region of 17,000. At its constituent General assembly, a Management Committee of 19 people -and 9 substitute members- as well as an inspection team comprising of three members with two substitute members were elected to manage the syndicate. This syndicate remained unrecognised by the government.

The stand off between the workers and the authorities came to a head on December 22, 2005. In an early morning raid on the homes of seven members of the Management Committee including the secretary of the committee, Mr Mansour Osanlou, were arrested. Later that evening a further six people were arrested. The offices and properties of the Syndicate and the personal computers of some those arrested were also confiscated and taken away. Later that evening six more workers were arrested and imprisoned.

The initial charges filed against these workers were stated as 'setting up an illegal organisation and attempts to organise a strike'.

The following day the Bus Company workers staged a protest sit-in and announced that they will go on strike if their colleagues are not freed immediately. The sit-in continued on Saturday December 24. By that time the news of the arrest of the Syndicate leaders had spread and a widespread support from different sections of the workers as well as members of the public and students had been generated. The protesting workers issued warnings of declaring a strike should their colleagues not be released immediately. The bus workers strike on Sunday December 25, seemed inevitable.

The Bus workers' strike began earlier in the morning of December 25. The strike ground the capital to a halt. It struck a panic in the heart of the authorities. All possible measures were taken to lessen the impact of the strike. They mobilised all the state's vehicles and their militia forces. Unable to deal with the strike the regime resorted to their usual ploy and adopted a policy of partial retreat and compromise.

Later that day, at 11pm, the mayor of Tehran intervened and in a meeting attended by 4000 strong striking workers. The mayor announced that the director of the bus company has been sacked and he himself taken over the operation of the bus Company. The mayor undertook to meet all the demands of the workers by Thursday. On Wednesday 6 out of the 13 detainees were released. Further sit-in and gatherings in front of the notorious even prison forced the authorities to release all but Mansour Osanlou, the Secretary of the Syndicate.

On 28.January 2006 the workers started a sit in Strike with the support of people and Students to pressurise the Islamic Regime to release Manoor Osanlou and other labour activists but the security forces of Islamic Regime suppressed brutally this protest action .As a result hundreds of protesters were arrested .

These oppressive measures of the Islamic Regime against the workers, their leaders and their independent Union are in direct contradiction to the ILO international Convention specially the Right of Strike and Organisation. Therefore we demand:

1. ILO must condemn the Islamic Regime in Iran which oppressed brutally the protest action of the workers of this Bus Company and which arrested Labour activists and their family members including Women and Children between 2 -12 years old.
2. Islamic Regime in Iran should release Mansoor Osanlou, other labour activists and their family members of the Wahid Bus Company in Tehran immediately and unconditionally.
3. “Syndicate of Workers of Tehran and Suburbs Vahed Bus Company” should be recognised as representative of workers of this Company.
4. The Islamic Regime should respect the ILO conventions Nr. 98 and 87 regarding the freedom of association for workers in Iran.
5. ILO should defend the right for collective bargaining of the workers in Iran.
6. Islamic Regime in Iran should be expelled from ILO.
We hope that ILO authorities will step forward to pressurise the Islamic regime to recognize these demands.

Thank you very much for your understanding.

Best Regards.

Worker Communist party of Iraq, www.wpiraq.net
Worker-communist party of Iran-Hekmatist, http://www.hekmatist.com
31. January 2006
Aso Jabbar, WCPI , P. Box 8553, CH- 3001 Bern,
Tel: 0041 78 882 55 89, Fax:0041 31 333 42 39,
E-mail:asojabbar@yahoo.com
Saeed Arman: 004477910 89487
Mahmoud Rahbary: 0041787957581

Submitted by PaulHampton on Wed, 01/02/2006 - 19:56

Beginning on Friday, 27 January, security forces in Iran began arresting hundreds of striking bus workers in Teheran, including the leadership of the union. Workers are also being intimidated into signing pledges to give up strike and protest actions or risk being fired. The management of the company and the company's Islamic Council worked hand in hand with the security forces to help identify the workers and assist in the arrests. Union officials said the brutality of the security forces was indescribable. The wives and children of some union executive members were also arrested, but later released. They were taken out of bed and beaten up during raids on Friday night. The beatings continued in detention. On Saturday, as the workers arrived at the picket lines, they were rounded up. Many were verbally abused, threatened and beaten up to force them to drive the buses. Those who refused were taken away. The majority of the detainees are now in the high security Evin Prison, which is notorious for the torture and execution of thousands of political prisoners.

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Submitted by Pete on Wed, 01/02/2006 - 20:30

See this including automated message of protest to the Iranian President.

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