Independent Labor Organizations in Iran Criticize Government's Response to Protesters

Independent labor organizations in Iran have issued statements supporting recent protests and strongly criticizing the government's response to demonstrators. The Free Workers Union of Iran, the Trade Association of Electrical and Metal Workers of Kermanshah, the Painters' Syndicate of Alborz Province, the Workers' Rights Defender Association, and the Committee for the Follow-up of Labor Organizations in Iran condemned the killing of over 20 individuals and the arrest of nearly 2,000 people across various cities, including close to 100 students. In their joint statement, these independent labor organizations described the government's actions against the protesters as a 'final declaration of war by the rulers' against 'the masses of people suffering from the current dire conditions.' They noted that ongoing and scattered protests have now transformed into 'nationwide and powerful protests,' adding that 'every degree of more brutal repression will bring ever-wider segments of the Iranian people to the streets and deepen and widen their protests.' These five labor organizations emphasized the right of all 'individuals in Iran, from workers to teachers, students, schoolchildren, women, and every oppressed human being' to hold 'street demonstrations,' declaring that 'shooting at the masses of people is a criminal act.' They held those responsible for any escalation of violence during protests accountable, stating that nearly 40 years after the 1979 revolution, the government has 'nothing but repression, embezzlement, plunder, and the expansion of poverty and misery and the destruction of the country's economy.' They also called for the immediate opening of prisons across Iran and the 'release of detainees from protests and all freedom-loving and justice-seeking individuals' who have been imprisoned for months or years. These organizations had previously issued a joint statement about the recent protests in Iranian cities, demanding an 'end to poverty and misery' and 'the dismantling of all forms of repression, oppression, and imprisonment.' Earlier, economist Hossein Raghfar, in an interview with the 'Iskan News' website, referred to the roots of the recent protests as a 'parade of elitism in the face of the severe poverty of a large part of the population,' stating that 'serious warnings were given to the established governments years ago, but no one paid attention.' Raghfar also mentioned in a conversation with the newspaper 'Ghanoun' that the existing political-economic structure is fundamentally flawed and will face serious crises from within, leading to the loss of what is referred to as revolution's achievements. He added that currently, there is no mechanism for the people's voices to be heard. Previously, Farshad Momeni, an economist in Iran, criticized the 2018 budget bill, stating that the engine of poverty expansion in 2018 would be more active than five years prior. He noted that the main focus of the economic crisis is the government's political orientations, stating that price increases are anti-development and anti-justice, as they punish the demand side while inefficient and corrupt producers waste energy, yet citizens bear the brunt of this negligence. Meanwhile, the Syndicate of Workers of the Tehran and Suburbs Bus Company and the Syndicate of Workers of Haft Tappeh Sugarcane Company issued a statement criticizing the government's response to protesters, asserting that the response to the people's protests should not be violent. They also criticized the effects of economic policies over the past decades, including wages five times below the poverty line, unpaid wages, the expansion of privatization, temporary and blank-signature contracts, and the lack of job security for workers. The minimum monthly wage for workers this year is 930,000 tomans, while according to Gholamreza Abbasi, head of the Supreme Council of Labor Associations, the monthly living cost for a working-class family last year was 2,550,000 tomans. These two labor syndicates referred to the protests and strikes of workers and teachers as 'justified,' noting that their response has been 'beatings, dismissals, flogging, and imprisonment.' The statement also mentioned that independent labor organizations and teachers are not recognized by the government and are treated violently, with constitutional principles recognizing the right to protest and the formation of independent syndicates and the pursuit of workers' rights consistently violated. In recent months, numerous reports have emerged regarding security and judicial actions against workers and labor organizations, particularly as these workers and organizations have protested against delayed wages and benefits, factory privatization, and worker dismissals. In this context, security and judicial actions against workers and labor organizations have drawn severe criticism from human rights organizations and international labor unions. Nevertheless, Iranian officials have denied these criticisms, claiming they have good interactions with labor organizations and recognize workers' organization rights. The independent labor organizations' statements have been released following comments from the International Confederation of Trade Unions, which noted that the protests in Iranian cities indicate that Iran needs fundamental reforms.