International Public Services Supports Iranian Workers: Human Rights Must Be Respected

"International Public Services" at its 31st congress in Geneva, Switzerland, adopted an urgent resolution regarding Iran in support of human rights and the rights of workers and other wage earners. This resolution was proposed by the Dutch Federation of Trade Unions during the meeting held from October 14 to 18. The resolution references last year's report by Amnesty International and the report by the Free Workers Union of Iran in the summer of this year, addressing the blatant violations of workers' rights in various sectors and the suppression of labor activists and public protests by the government. According to this resolution, the Executive Committee of International Public Services has sent a letter to the Islamic Republic's government demanding an end to the violation of workers' rights in Iran and the release of imprisoned labor activists. This global labor union has also sent statements to the International Labour Organization (ILO), requesting the possibility of sending an investigative delegation to Iran to examine the situation regarding respect for and support of human rights and workers' organization. The resolution also proposes setting a specific timeframe for reconsidering Iran's membership in the ILO if the situation of Iranian workers does not improve. The congress also requested the ILO to consider the participation of independent labor representatives from Iran in its meetings. In this regard, Roya Moyed, a member of the Global Solidarity section of the Dutch Federation of Trade Unions, mentioned in an interview with Voice of America that the goal of this resolution is to "draw the attention of the global community and the ILO to the brutal repression by the regime, especially in the past year." Ms. Moyed stated that other objectives of the resolution include "raising global public awareness about the lack of the right to assemble and the establishment of free and independent unions, as well as efforts to free prisoners who are members of independent organizations and all political prisoners in Iran." She referred to Narges Mohammadi, a human rights activist and Nobel Peace Prize winner, in this context. Roya Moyed discussed the impact of such actions on a global scale, saying: "The impact of these activities is to draw international attention to the situation in Iran and specifically the effort to expel the Islamic Republic of Iran from the ILO," adding, "This may not happen quickly, but the repeated expression of what is happening in Iran will eventually yield results, and this is the least we can do outside of Iran." In recent years, human rights organizations and labor unions worldwide have repeatedly protested against the violation of workers' rights, including security and judicial actions against labor activists and organizations. Foad Kikhisravi: The revolutionary uprising of recent months has escalated with workers' strikes. The dollar value of the "minimum wage" for Iranian workers decreases every year. The head of Evin Prison prevented the transfer of Reza Shahabi to the hospital due to not wearing prison clothes. Ambiguity in the legal obligation of "permanent contracts for workers"; a labor activist states that most workers do not have written contracts. Two imprisoned labor activists: the killing of dissenters and artists is an old and familiar tradition. The decline in purchasing power in Iran; 70% of workers are "moonlighting." The continuation of the livelihood crisis in Iran; workers are struggling to secure their basic living needs.