Summoning of 40 Workers from Haft Tappeh Sugarcane Company to Shush Judiciary

The Haft Tappeh Sugarcane Workers' Syndicate announced in a statement that 40 workers from the company have been summoned by the Shush judiciary. Previously, at least 15 workers from Haft Tappeh were arrested during the workers' strike in recent days and were later released. In a statement on Friday, August 4, the Haft Tappeh Workers' Syndicate mentioned that these workers have been told to appear in court on Sunday, August 6. Meanwhile, a source close to the Haft Tappeh Workers' Syndicate told Radio Farda that several other workers have also been summoned by the police. According to this source, the workers are accused of 'inciting workers to strike,' and several members of the board of directors of the Haft Tappeh Workers' Syndicate are among those summoned. So far, judicial and law enforcement officials of the Islamic Republic of Iran have not commented on this matter. Strikes are illegal in Iran, and there have been repeated security and judicial confrontations with workers in various parts of Iran. This comes as independent labor organizations in Iran and international labor unions have repeatedly called for the recognition of the right to strike for workers. The strike by Haft Tappeh workers was triggered by the non-payment of salaries for the months of Ordibehesht and Khordad this year, unpaid salaries from Bahman and Esfand of 2015, eight months of last year's bonuses, and bonuses from two years ago. According to government officials, the private employer of Haft Tappeh has only paid one month's salary to the workers so far. Furthermore, reports indicate that this amount has also not been paid to the members of the board of directors of the Haft Tappeh Workers' Syndicate. Reports also indicate that the workers of Haft Tappeh are demanding the return of ownership of the company to the government. The Haft Tappeh company was privatized in Esfand 2015, which drew criticism, including from a member of parliament from Shush who criticized the sale of the company to two young men aged 28 and 31. The Haft Tappeh Workers' Syndicate also noted in its Friday statement that the names of those summoned were prepared by the company's CEO in collaboration with the security of the unit and sent to the Shush judiciary. The summoning of workers comes after Mustafa Nazari, the public prosecutor of Shush County, recently announced in an interview with the Mizan news agency, affiliated with the judiciary, that the 'public prosecutor is addressing the issues of a group of workers from Haft Tappeh.' He stated, 'The workers of this factory have demands that the prosecutor's office is pursuing.' Previously, several labor organizations in Iran, including the Free Union of Iranian Workers, the Tehran and Suburbs Bus Company, and the Workers' Rights Defenders Association, as well as the International Federation of Food, Agricultural and Allied Workers' Unions, criticized the detention of several striking Haft Tappeh workers. In this context, Peter Rossman, the international officer and campaign manager of the International Federation of Food, Agricultural and Allied Workers' Unions, told Radio Farda that this federation will take action if such confrontations continue, including filing complaints with international labor organizations. The Haft Tappeh Workers' Syndicate condemned the 'threats and summons' against the workers and any 'fabrication of cases' against them, calling for the cancellation of all charges against the workers by security forces and the judiciary. In recent years, several workers participating in labor protests and labor activists have been dismissed or summoned, arrested, and imprisoned. Human rights organizations and international labor unions have repeatedly criticized such actions and called for an end to security and judicial confrontations with labor activists and the release of imprisoned labor activists.