Iran: Over 3000 Workers go on strike in Haft Tapeh!

by Darren C Mon May 12, 2008 19:58

Monday, 12 May 2008

http://www.marxist.com/iran-haft-tapeh-all-out-strike.htm

According to reports received from Shush city around 5000 workers are now on strike at the Haft Tapeh Sugar Cane Development Commercial Company.

The strike has entered its sixth day and all three shifts, as well as all parts of the factory and cane fields of the company, are solidly behind the strike. The workers had warned that they would step up strike action if their demands were not met by the management of the state-owned company.

On 10 May many workers protested in front of the Governor General's office in Shush city, in Khuzestan province (southern Iran). This protest lasted many hours and a growing numbers of workers kept joining it. After six days of strike action the workers have not had any response from management about what is going to happen to their unpaid wages. Neither the general manager, Yaghoob Shafiee, nor anyone from the management committee, nor Zibdari, the company's security chief, have come anywhere near the factory or fields.

The workers went on strike demanding that the past two months' unpaid wages be paid. Their full demands are as follows: - Payment of two months' unpaid wages. - An end to the gathering of legal dossiers and summoning workers to court. - Sacking the general manager of the company, a mollah named Yaghoob Shafiee, and the whole management committee. - Sacking the security chief of the company, a person named Zibdari, who has had a direct role in the beating, spying and gathering of dossiers on workers.

During the past few days Intelligence Ministry officers have begun harassing workers by phoning or going to their homes in the middle of the night. We therefore must keep up the pressure on the management of this state-owned company and the Iranian government to accept all the workers' demands and to drop all charges against them.

Iranian Workers' Solidarity Network, 10 May 2008

For further news on Haft Tapeh and how you can help see special section.

Iranian Workers' Solidarity Network
BM IWSN London, WC1N 3XX
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by pat c Mon May 12, 2008 14:43

A special section of the IWSN site is dedicated to Haft Tapeh. The following articles may be accessed there:

Haft Tapeh Sugar Cane workers go on all-out strike

Over 3000 workers go on strike in Haft Tapeh!

Five Haft Tapeh Sugar Cane Company workers to appear in court

Mohammad Heydari Mehr, the other Haft Tapeh Sugar Cane Company workers' representative has been arrested

Ghorban Alipoor, one of the representatives of the Haft Tapeh Sugar Cane Company workers, has been arrested

Let us support the Haft Tapeh Sugar Cane workers!

Statement by the Co-operation Council of Labour Organisations and Activists

Haft Tapeh Sugar Cane workers in southern Iran go on strike

by pat c Mon May 12, 2008 14:25

This the latest report on the strike. Full text at link.

5000 workers are now on strike at the Haft Tapeh Sugar Company. The strike has entered its sixth day and all three shifts, as well as all parts of the factory and cane fields of the company, are solidly behind the strike. The workers had warned that they would step up strike action if their demands were not met by the management of the state-owned company.

On 10 May many workers protested in front of the Governor General's office in Shush . This protest lasted many hours and a growing numbers of workers kept joining it. After 6 days of strike action the workers have not had any response from management about what is going to happen to their unpaid wages. Neither the general manager, Yaghoob Shafiee, nor anyone from the management committee, nor Zibdari, the company's security chief, have come anywhere near the factory or fields.

The workers full demands are as follows:

* Payment of two months' unpaid wages.
* An end to the gathering of legal dossiers and summoning workers to court.
* Sacking the general manager of the company, a mollah named Yaghoob Shafiee, and the whole management committee.
* Sacking the security chief of the company, a person named Zibdari, who has had a direct role in the beating, spying and gathering of dossiers on workers.

Intelligence Ministry officers have begun harassing workers by phoning or going to their homes in the middle of the night. We therefore must keep up the pressure on the management of this state-owned company and the Iranian government to accept all the workers' demands and to drop all charges against them.

Iranian Workers' Solidarity Network
11 May 2008

Source: Human Rights and Democracy Activists in Iran

by pat c Sat May 10, 2008 16:12

Information regarding the strike is carried by the following sites:

LabourStart is an online news service maintained by a global network of volunteers which aims to serve the international trade union movement by collecting and disseminating information -- and by assisting unions in campaigning and other ways.
Correspondents include:
Kivanc Eliacik: Kivanc works in DISK, the Confederation of Progressive Trade Unions of Turkey
Mark Thompson: Mark is a branch secretary in ASLEF, the train drivers union in Great Britain.
Sanna Sandberg: Sanna is a member of Kommunal, in Sweden.
R.T. Shankar: R.T. Shankar is general secretary of the Hindustan lever workers union, in India.
Rwatirinda Mahembe: Rwatirinda is president of the Zimbabwe Graphical Workers Union
Pirzada Imtiaz Syed is Secretary General of All Pakistan Federation of United Trade Unions
Kitty Sun: Kitty works for China Labor Watch
http://www.labourstart.org/

What is LabourNet?
LabourNet promotes computer communications as a medium for strengthening and building organised labour. We are in the forefront of using the resources of the internet to provide communications, news and information for the labour movement.

We operate as a subgroup of GreenNet which is a non-profit organisation providing affordable access to computer communications. GreenNet is part of the Association for Progressive Communications linking progressive computer networks around the world. LabourNet works closely with the US based APC affiliate LaborNet to promote international labour movement communications both inside and outside the APC.

Globalisation of production and distribution by employers has brought new problems for trade unionists throughout the world. It has become increasingly impossible to advance our position or even to defend it within the boundaries of single nation states. International co-operation and solidarity has become totally essential.
http://www.labournet.net/

Sugar Engineers' Library
This a sugar industry site. It has resources for sugar engineers: Design guides, useful data, tables, formulae, software, news and links. Its hardly likely to make up or carry false stories about strikes.
http://www.sugartech.co.za/index.php

SB news
Two stories on its front page are: FWCUI Celebrates May Day in Baghdad & To All U.S.A and Iraq’s Dock workers for their Exemplary Show of Workers’ International Solidarity
http://socialist-blogs-news.blogspot.com/