May Day leaflet by a Group of Iranian Workers at Iran Khodro

international | worker & community struggles and protests | other press Friday May 11, 2007 16:45 by pat c

(Iran's major car plant).

This a statement and an appeal for solidarity from a group of Iranian workers based at the Iran Khodro car plant. Full statement at the link.

Friends and Fellow workers, International workers day is the day of international solidarity with workers. This is the day of protest against capitalism, against injustice in the world. Years ago Chicago workers started a struggle in support of their demands and many workers lost their lives. Workers are still fighting for their rights and thousands of workers have continued the struggle for the demands of May day. The Iranian government was forced to accept workers day only after years of worker protests. Iranian workers, cannot gather free of police presence to mark May day. For years everytime we tried to organise an independent march, the government intervened and it arrested many workers as in Saghez in 2004. Mahmud Salehi, one of the workers accused of organising the Saghez events is in prison , many other workers await similar sentences.

Once more, we workers of Iran Khodro express our endless gratitude to all those who have fought for the emancipation of the working class, we are shutting down our plant and together with fellow workers demand

1- International Workers must be recognised as an official holiday
This is an internationally recognised day, the day of solidarity with workers throughout the world and no employer, no government should be allowed to keep worker sat work with bribes and extra pay, however unfortunately still 80% of Iran’s factories, workshops fail to accept this day as a holiday and force their employees to work under many guises. There is no legislation stopping such employers.

2-Freedom to celebrate May Day
May Day is the day to protest against lack of basic rights, against injustice and no government has the right to stop workers attending their own meetings and gatherings. Attending workers gatherings on such a day should not need special permissions, even the ILO has recognised this day and the Iranian government has no right to devise obstacles against our gatherings on this day.

5- Privatisation must be condemned
Nationalisation of foreign trade, expropriation of the wealth of capitalists in the interest of the public was one of the demands of the 1979 revolution. We, Iran’s workers cannot accept the expanding privatisation. Privatised capital is getting wealthier every day thanks to exploiting workers, using rentier, speculating capital. The transfer of major forms to private capital means condemning workers to double exploitation. We condemn such privatisation and will not allow it to happen in our car plant with further transfer of companies such as Sapko, Issako and Iosko to the private sector.