Strike at Haft Tappeh Sugarcane Company; At Least 34 Workers Arrested

The Haft Tappeh Sugarcane Workers' Syndicate reported on Sunday, February 4, that amidst the ongoing strike of workers at this unit, at least 34 workers have been arrested by special police forces. According to the Telegram channel of the Haft Tappeh Sugarcane Workers' Syndicate, Ismail Bakshi, Karamat Pam, Rahim Basak, and Ramadan Alipour, representatives of the workers, are among those arrested. These four have been interrogated in recent days. Previously, Mr. Bakshi was attacked by masked individuals while returning home to Dezful, whose identities remain unknown, and the police have not commented on this matter. The report indicates that the detainees have been transferred to the Haft Tappeh police station. A worker from Haft Tappeh Sugarcane Company told Radio Farda that the arrested workers have been transferred to the security police in Shush. Meanwhile, the Telegram channel of the Tehran and Suburbs Bus Company Workers' Syndicate reported that the detainees were transferred to the Shush judiciary with handcuffs and shackles. There has been no news published regarding the reason for the arrest of these workers or the charges against them. In recent years, workers and labor activists have been arrested or sentenced to prison on security charges. Previously, at least 70 workers from Haft Tappeh Sugarcane Company had legal cases opened against them. They were arrested or summoned following a major strike by Haft Tappeh workers in September. The Haft Tappeh Sugarcane Workers' Syndicate stated in its Sunday statement that special forces have had a 'significant presence' in the company since Saturday night, February 4, and that 'a highly security-oriented atmosphere has been established in the factory, turning it into a military base.' This labor organization has called for the immediate release of the detained workers and demanded an end to the security atmosphere at Haft Tappeh Sugarcane Company and the swift withdrawal of special forces from the company. The Haft Tappeh Sugarcane Workers' Syndicate also regarded the strike, gathering, and protests as 'the primary and undeniable right of workers' and added: 'No worker should be disrespected, arrested, detained, or attacked by military forces for demanding their rights, protesting, or striking.' According to this report, the workers' strike continued until noon on Sunday despite the arrests, and they gathered in the Haft Tappeh Sugarcane Company area. The striking workers are demanding the payment of their overdue wages and the release of their imprisoned colleagues. The workers' strike began last Wednesday. The crackdown on Haft Tappeh Sugarcane Company workers comes as the International Confederation of Trade Unions has recently called on its 331 member unions in 163 countries to protest against what it termed 'harassment' of labor activists and 'systematic violations' of workers' rights and their organization. This call was made after reports emerged regarding an increase in security and judicial actions against labor activists and workers, as well as a worsening issue of unpaid wages for several months in various regions of Iran, including at Haft Tappeh Sugarcane Company. The International Confederation of Trade Unions, which covers 202 million workers, noted in its call that many labor activists and teachers' rights advocates have been imprisoned and that others have been tried for their union activities, stating that they have been tried and convicted based on 'false charges.' A member of European unions stated in an interview with Radio Farda that this confederation's reference pertains to the security charges brought against labor activists and some workers protesting their labor conditions in recent years; charges that have led to long prison sentences or even flogging sentences for some of them. The International Confederation of Trade Unions pointed out that the workers of Haft Tappeh Sugarcane Company are demanding timely payment of wages, recognition of their union as representatives of the workers, reinstatement of workers who have been 'unjustly dismissed,' and the return of ownership of this unit to the government. The confederation has called on member unions to urge the Iranian authorities to drop all security charges against workers and labor activists, release all imprisoned labor and union activists, pay the wages and benefits of retired Haft Tappeh Sugarcane workers, recognize the Haft Tappeh Sugarcane Workers' Syndicate, reinstate dismissed workers, and return the ownership of this privatized unit to the government. Workers at Haft Tappeh Sugarcane Company have repeatedly demanded the return of ownership of this unit to the government. This demand has also been raised in several factories transferred to the private sector. These workers, pointing to economic problems and bankruptcy following privatization, argue that this situation did not exist during government ownership. Nevertheless, President Hassan Rouhani's government emphasizes continuing privatization policies. Previously, the World Federation of Trade Unions had also called on its members to support the demands of the Haft Tappeh Sugarcane workers by signing a letter to Iranian authorities. The Haft Tappeh Sugarcane Workers' Syndicate is a member of the World Federation of Trade Unions. 432 unions and labor organizations from 130 countries are members of this federation, representing 2.5 million workers.