A statement by imprisoned
worker, Shahrokh Zamani, to all workers' unions and syndicates in Egypt,
Tunisia, Russia, Japan and other Asian countries
Comrades!
It is
with great pleasure that I and other jailed labor activists in hellish prisons
of Islamic Republic of Iran extend our warm greetings to you. I, Shahrokh
Zamani, a member of the Follow-Up Committee to Set Up Free Labor Organizations
in Iran and one of the founders of Painters’ Union of Tehran, accompanied tens
of other jailed Labor activists have been subjected to severe torture and
cruelty in redoubtable Islamic Republic prisons, and we have sentenced to heavy
prison terms only for defending the legal rights of working class, such as the
right of making workers' unions, and the right to protest and strike.
This
government brutally represses the most obvious rights of workers in Iran to safeguard interests of a few number of military and
cleric billionaires and to facilitate exploitation of the 50 millions family of
working class as slaves. We can mention the full-scale repression of all
committees, constituencies, associations and independent workers' organizations
such as Syndicate of
Workers of Tehran and Suburbs Bus Company, Haft Tapeh Sugar Cane Workers'
Syndicate, Saghez Bakers Syndicate, Coordinating Committee to Help Form
Workers' Organisation, Follow-Up Committee to Set Up Free Labour Organizations
in Iran,
etc.
Increasing
rightlessness of workers including the one quarter of the poverty line wages;
privatization of public sectors, education and healthcare; the lack of job
security through expanding the open and temporary contracts in favor of
capitalists and against the interests of workers; high unemployment rates and a
general lack of social security; the labor law which reflects clearly and
overtly the class interests of the employers with no protection against
dismissal, assurances against unemployment, the safety insurance and benefits
to the workers; paving the way for importing the various shoddy foreign goods
by the government's relatives
through non-application of the customs tariff law to destroy Iran's industries and
productions; wide-spread dismissals and suffocating the workers' struggle in
work places by governmental spies and finks, factories and offices' Basij and
Workers' House appointees; destroying all production, contribution and
consumption cooperatives by governmental Mafia's gangs, suppression of any kind
of protest especially in oil industry and the car-making industry as Iran
Khodro and Saipa.
Co-workers!
Islamic
government of Iran
is decisively the copartner of imperialist multinational enterprises and
transnational corporations to apply the World Bank and IMF's policies and
economic plans. On the contrary of this growing, organized and suppressive
approach of global capitalist class, the working class in Iran as a militant
battalion of workers' army in all around the world, shall be aware of its
common purposes with other part of the global working class, and so as to reach
its aims, must set up the Workers' United Front based on political and economic
demands of working class to equip themselves against Capitalism attacks.
Sisters
and brothers!
Islamic
regime as a member of ILO does not care about the labor standards approved by
this organization, agreements nor adapted resolutions to show its complaisance
to the global capitalist system. Islamic government even violates its own Labor
Law and Article 26 of the Constitution which says " The formation of
parties, societies, political or professional associations, as well as
religious societies, whether Islamic or pertaining to one of the recognized
religious minorities, is permitted provided they do not violate the principles
of independence, freedom, national unity, the criteria of Islam, or the basis
of the Islamic Republic". This capitalist government represses all
demands, protests and workers' organizations and sentences the detainee labor
activists without any attorney and self-defense right, by non-independent
judges under the control of hellish Ministry of Intelligence and National
Security.
I and
my fellows have sentenced to long-standing imprisonments: I, Shahrokh Zamani to
11 years, Rasould Bodaghi a member of the Iran Teachers’ Trade Association (ITTA)
to 6 years, Behnam(As'ad) Ebrahimzadeh a children's rights and labor rights
activist to 5 years, Reza Shahabi a bus driver, Executive Board member
and Treasurer of the Syndicate of Workers of Tehran Vahed Bus Company to 6
years and Mohammad Jarrahi a member of the Follow-Up Committee to Set Up Free
Labor Organizations in Iran to 5 years imprisonment. The Islamic government
attempts to prevent the working class in Iran to be organized through
holding the labor activists in prisons and under the persecution, and also puts
them under the pressures in out of prisons through prosecutions and dismissals.
In such disorganized and isolated situation, workers live in hunger,
unemployment and high rate of exploitation and they would be more dominated and
subjugated to produce more and more wealth for capitalists.
We
the imprisoned workers in Iran,
ask all the domestic and international workers' organizations especially in
Middle Eastern and Asian countries to be more allied in their struggles against
all anti-workers government and particularly Islamic Republic of Iran. We
demand your support and solidarity with workers in Iran
for increasing the pressures on Islamic Republic and reinforcing the united
battle of workers in Iran.
Unity and Organizing are
the only solutions!
Workers of the world Unite!
Shahrokh Zamani
Rajaei Shahr Prison
2013-01-10
