Teachers' Union Council in Iran: Elections 'Have No Relevance in This Structure'

The Coordinating Council of Teachers' Unions in Iran issued a statement highlighting the public's 'disinterest' in government elections in Iran and condemned the misuse of the council's name by various factions within the Islamic Republic. In the statement released on Tuesday, July 5, it noted that 'the social atmosphere indicates the people's reluctance to participate in government elections.' Regarding the candidates approved by the Guardian Council of the Islamic Republic, it stated: 'A look at the election debates reveals that none of the candidates have any plans for the people and teachers; they only make vague statements.' The council pointed to the 'uprisings of 1996, 1998, and 2022,' where 'people, especially women, youth, children, and activists in various fields faced threats, beatings, direct gunfire, imprisonment, etc.,' concluding that this explains 'why there is no interest in participating in elections.' The statement emphasized that 'no plans' are presented by election candidates in the education sector, adding: 'Dependent political organizations that carry the name of educators use various methods to heat up the election atmosphere.' The statement further noted that 'organizations affiliated with reformists only represent a small part of teachers' demands under the guise of their candidates and, even before coming to power, mention a teaching system that is the precursor to forming government organizations and suppressing independent unions, neglecting the real demands of teachers.' Regarding 'political organizations affiliated with conservatives,' it stated that they 'unethically forge the name and logo of the Coordinating Council of Teachers' Unions in Iran to exploit it and do not accept responsibility for creating the current dire conditions.' The council continued by listing the 'real demands of the people and teachers' as 'protests against the ideological education system, opposition to the commodification of education, demands for independent organization, the right to assemble and protest, and social and political freedoms, ... the freedom of imprisoned teachers, livelihood and dignity demands, effective insurance, and social demands such as the right to optional dress and defending the rights of women and children,' which have been raised in recent years and are still echoed in street protests today. The council emphasized that these demands were not raised in recent presidential debates and have been ignored in previous Islamic Republic governments, considering the candidates in the government elections in Iran as those who 'have also held high decision-making positions over the past decades,' stressing that 'a significant part of the problems and issues of the people and teachers is related to their programs and policies.' The statement concludes that 'given these interpretations, elections in this structure have no relevance for the Coordinating Council of Teachers' Unions in Iran, and we pursue our demands through efforts for independent organization and strengthening popular institutions.' The council condemned the exploitation of union demands to heat up the election atmosphere and the insult to the intelligence of retired and active educators, as well as the forgery and misuse of the name of the Coordinating Council for electoral purposes by political factions. Ahead of the upcoming government presidential elections in Iran on July 8, multiple calls for a boycott have been issued by figures, organizations, and political and union groups.