Reported by PMOI/MEK
Feb. 3, 2019 – In a joint statement, prominent French syndicates have voiced their support for Iranian teachers and workers who have been protesting for their rights in the past months, especially those who have been incarcerated by the Iranian regime’s security forces. The unions and syndicates demanded the release of all imprisoned teachers and workers and respect for the rights of all Iranian activists.
The supporting syndicates include CFDT, CGT, two very large unions, as well as FSU, a union of public sector workers, and several other organizations. In their joint statement, the syndicates declare, “The deteriorating conditions of workers in Iran has caused them to hold protests for their rights since several weeks ago. They demand the improvement of their living and work conditions and are tired of their meager salaries and the months-long delay in receiving their pay.”
The statement also acknowledges that in the case of Haft Tapeh sugar mill and Iran National Steel Industrial Group, two large factories in Khuzestan province, workers have gone on strike due to not have achieved their demands after an extended period of protests. The syndicates also state that Iranian teachers across the country are “struggling for basic rights and decent salaries.”
The French syndicates also add that the regime’s only response to the demands of the hardworking segments of the Iranian population was to arrest and imprison them. The statement specifically names several teachers union members who have been arrested by the Iranian regime in the past months, including Mohammad Habibi and Mahmoud Beheshti Langroudi.
The statement of the French syndicates concludes by demanding the Iranian regime to respect international conventions it has signed, and warns that if the Iranian regime does not honor its commitments, the syndicates will refer the issue to international bodies, including the International Labor Organization.
