From: Tehran and Suburbs Vahed Workers Syndicate

To: International Transportation Federation ITF

Subject: Complaint by Vahed Workers Syndicate on Non-Implementation of Basic Working Regulations especially Conventions 87 and 98 by the Ministry of Cooperatives, Labor and Social Security

We are asking your distinguished international labor institution to introduce and pursue the complaint by the Vahed Workers Syndicate as a member of ITF on non-implementation of the basic working regulations especially conventions 87 and 98 in Islamic Republic of Iran in the annual session of ILO.

Given the fifty year history of membership of our country in ILO, the obligation of the countries officials to implement these regulations and given the nonconformity with these regulations, especially the right to form independent trade unions by the Islamic Republic of Iran, the individuals sent to the convention as representatives of Iranian workers are not considered as the true representatives of millions of Iranian workers and can not receive credentials from that session.

For example, these representatives have not shown any cooperation and support in the course of attacks and expulsions of Vahed Syndicate members in the past years including those of Ebrahim Madadi, Hassan Saeedi, Hossein Karimi Sabzevari, Nasser Moharamzadeh, Vahid Fereidouni, Ali Nouryani, Ms. Farahnaz Shiri and incarceration of Reza Shahabi as well as violation of rights of Akbar Pirhadi and Hassan Karimi.

They have even worked along side state and security officials against Vahed Syndicate and its members.

Tehran and Suburbs Vahed Workers Syndicate
May 2013

The workers also have demanded the implementation of their job categorizations which keeps getting postponed by the management at Haft Tapeh. The workers have vowed to continue the strike until meeting their demands.

During the past year, Vahed Workers Syndicate, relying on its membership, organized several protests for gaining Vahed workers rights and benefits.

Among these were physical protests at Tehran Municipality and Labor Ministry as well as at North West Labor Offices. These protests were planned in numerous Syndicate meetings with the participation and joint decisions of workers, drivers and members of the Syndicate directors, the result of which were the 18 percent increase in wages and increase in housing subsidies of up to 100 percent. During these protests, three active Syndicate members, Hassan Saeedi, Nasser Moharamzadeh and Vahid Fereidouni were illegally fired from their jobs through frame-ups by Islamic Labor Council members and Vahed management and security with the participation of Labor Ministry operatives who are influential in Arbitration Board and general operate under the auspices of the Labor Ministry. The sole base for the firings have been the membership in Vahed Syndicate. They are currently awaiting the ruling by the Court of Administrative Justice. While several workers representatives in the Arbitration Board have not approved the firing of the said workers, their ruling in the Arbitration Board for firings have been passed.

Two of the protests by Vahed Workers Syndicate in the past year have been on general workers demands pursued by the Vahed Syndicate.

These are: 1- A petition against the anti-labor amendments to the Labor Law that was to be approved in the parliament. More than 2000 signatures for withdrawal of this anti-labor bill by the workers and drivers at Vahed were gathered and registered with the Ministry of Labor and consequently registered with the Islamic Parliament with the cooperation of a group of Syndicate workers and drivers members. According to an official letter sent to one of the members of the Vahed Syndicate by the parliament, it was promised to be reviewed and the anti-labor bill was withdrawn. It has to be noted that other labor organizations have also been protesting this amendment bill and have gathered petitions against this anti-labor bill.

2- Protests on fixing a just minimum wage for 2013 in which Vahed Syndicate gathered other petitions and registered with the Ministry of Labor, Cooperatives and Social Security as well as a protest gathering at the Ministry by Vahed drivers, the majority of the whom were the Syndicate members. These protests are ongoing.

Current State of Vahed Workers Syndicate

As you know, Vahed Workers Syndicate is operating under security and suppressive atmosphere. Employer operatives and security as well as Islamic Labor Councils who are supposedly officially representing the Vahed workers enjoy the support and cooperation of police and security forces and with these at hand can prevent Union activists activities at any time. They can even arrest them and enjoy means above the law and constantly call in the Vahed Syndicate workers to the security in Vahed, putting them under pressure.

Unfortunately, the Ministry of Labor, Cooperatives and Social Security which participates in the annual meetings of ILO condones the wide spread and one sided expulsions and pressures on the drivers and workers at Vahed. Considering different meetings and letters written by the Syndicate members to the Ministry of Labor officials, not only they have done nothing in helping and reinstatement of the Syndicate drivers but have also condoned these actions. Considering wide spread rigging in election of Islamic Labor Council membership in Vahed Company and given the documents deliverd to the Ministry of Labor, Cooperatives and Social Security by Syndicate representatives and Labor Offices, unfortunately, a strong determination is at hand which does not want the Vahed Worker Syndicate to continue operations.

Currently, despite all pressures, Vahed Syndicate is continuing with its activities and despite the intelligence operatives deny the Syndicate to hold regular offices or space for holding the meetings, the Syndicate meetings are regularly being held at personal homes of the workers and all decisions and protest actions of the Vahed workers are decided in the same workers houses and in group decisions.

Vahed Workers Syndicate wants to hold its second congress. However, despite the decision of holding the congress has been made several years back, the intelligence operatives have been confronting the Syndicate.

One was the arrest of Ebrahim Madadi, the deputy head of the Syndicate resulting in his incarceration. Now, the Syndicate is investigating ways with least price for holding the congress. Reza Shahabi is another member of the directorate of the Vahed Workers Syndicate who has been sentenced to six years by the revolutionary court as well as five years ban in union activity and 7 million in bail in which three years of the sentence has already been passed.

He was recently released for treatment of injuries resulting from his arrest and 19 months of illegal captivity in ward 209 solitary confinement. Following few months and while his treatment not being finished, he was again returned to Evin prison. He was greeted and supported by a number of Vahed Syndicate workers and drivers to Evin.

The release, treatment and return back of Reza Shahabi is among the main demands of Vahed Workers Syndicat from ILO.

The State of Vahed Workers Syndicate Members

1. Reza Shahabi, a member of directorate of the Syndicate is currently in Evin prison serving his six year term.

2- Hassan Saeedi, Nasser Moharamzadeh and Vahid Fereidouni, three members of the Syndicate have been expelled from their work because of their union activities and currently are facing difficult economic conditions. Their case is currently under review in the Court of Administrative Justice.

3- Akbar Pirhadi and Hassan Karimi, members of the directorate of the Syndicate and Hossein Karimi, an active member with the Syndicate have been fired since more than six years ago due to their union activities. They were able to receive reinstatement ruling by the Court of Administrative Justice after several years and returned to their work.

In an unprecedented move, however, by the Labor Offices which are under the Ministry of Labor, Cooperatives and Social Security, they were denied all their wages and past dues as well as social security rights.

Despite their pursuing, they have not been successful yet in gaining their rights. A number of Syndicate members also are routinely called in to the Vahed security, Vahed management and disciplinary committees and are threatened.

Syndicate Activities in 2013

Vahed Workers Syndicate held regular weekly meetings during the past month and made decisions on May Day, International Labor Day, the activities for this day follow:

1. Preparation and issue of a declaration on the occasion of International Labor Day.

2. Ordering a pen with May Day greetings inscribed on it as well as the name of the Vahed Workers Syndicate and distributing it as a gift to workers and drivers of Vahed with pastries at the bus terminals.

3. Preparing a placard with the emblem of the Syndicate with demonstration and rally with the placard at Azadi terminal on the occasion of May Day. Syndicate members along with some of the workers greeted workers and drivers at the terminals and congratulated them on this occasion.

4. Syndicate member meeting with child laborers who make up a part of the little members of the workers community . They celebrated the day at the Child Laborer Society offices with singing and distributing pastry.

The Condition of Workers Organizations in Iran

What we have observed on the condition of state sponsored organizations in Iran is that in practice the operation of organizations such as Islamic Labor Councils and Labor House is more party work and they cannot essentially be considered workers organizations.

They essentially are not independent at all and do not have any organizational independence. It is so that in new laws, their bylaws is written at the Ministry of Labor and their members do not have any say on the bylaws prepared. These organizations are essentially picked from above and thus are mostly in the service of employer and the state.

They are subservient and given the current situation and expediency, they trample upon workers rights and demands. They mostly look up to above rather than pay attention to the basic rights of the workers. They even prevent independent labor organizations from taking shape and in essence, with state means including intelligence operatives and use of courts, labor offices and Ministry of Labor suppress organizations such as syndicates and unions.

They use the labor force at their disposal for the benefit of state and employers. As an example, the attack on Vahed Workers Syndicate on May 9, 2005 took place with means such as police presence and high officials of Labor House and Islamic Labor Councils who had prepared the clamp done with cooperation of the employer and security at Vahed company.

Essentially the state of the labor community is an indication of the current state of the affairs of the state-sponsored organizations.

Tehran and Suburbs Vahed Workers Syndicate
May 2013

Minimum wage covers at least 45 percent of the workers in Iran and in that sense plays an important role in lives of many in the country. Certain sectors, however, are denied even the low fixed minimum wages.

Workers at workshops with under five employees are among large number of workers that fall in this category. Ali Aslani, a leader of State of Alborz Islamic Labor Councils Association, talking with Iranian Labour News Agency (ILNA), said that due to lack of oversight and lack of labor trade organizations in workshops with under 5 employees, the labor relations including wages are set orally with no contracts. According to the Labor Law, workshops under 10 employees are exempt from the clauses of the law and these work places are run by discretion of the employer with no guarantees for the workers.

According to Aslani, while the workers consider the minimum wages fixed by High Council on Labor to not meet their needs, the wages at small workshops are at least 100 to 150 thousand tomans less than the fixed rate. This is in such places as super markets and stores, medical and dental offices and notary offices which enjoy high earnings. Severe economic conditions and high unemployment compels many young with high education to take the jobs in these work places.

Another group receiving sub-minimum wages are the child laborers. According to Hossein Mirbahari of Street and Laborer Children Defense League talking to ILNA, since March of this year, due to increasing cost of living and inadequacy of the fixed wages, more number of children in poorer and needy families have been forced to work to support their families.

According to Mirbahari, on the ratified 486 thousand tomans minimum wage, the custodians of every child laborer, depending on the working conditions, receives between 160 to 250 thousand tomans on the average. While the child laborers work in par with adult workers, they never receive the same wages according to Mirbahari. Mirbahari said that contrary to the common beliefs, most child laborers are not involved in pan handling in the streets but are engaged in hard jobs in remote and unofficial workshops.

Reports put the number of workers receiving sub-minimum wage top 25 percent of the workforce.

On May 3, eighty gardening workers with Ahvaz municipality zone 2 staged a protest by the contractor’s offices protesting one year of past dues. Gathering by Sahel Sabz contracting company offices in Kosar park in Ahvaz demanded back dues, unemployment insurance for some of the workers, uniforms and official wage stubs. Aghayar Hosseini, Labor House diretor in Ahvaz talking with Iranian Labour News Agency (ILNA) said that the workers were asking for two months back wages, bonuses, and years of service dues.

On May 5, a number of Iran Refinery Complex retirees staged a protest gathering by Ministry of Oil offices in Tehran protesting delays in receiving their pension.

Similarly, a group of Isfahan textile workers staged a pretest gathering at the gates of Iranian parliament demanding early retirements according to the law on hazardous and difficult jobs. Isfahan Simin Textile workers were demanding implementation of unemployment and social security benefits law by the employer.

On May 7, a group of rural communication workers staged a gathering by the gates of the Iranian parliament demanding direct contracts with Iran Telecommunication Company as well as resumption of their unemployment and social security benefits. Workers from Khorasan and Isfahan were among those present at the gathering.

On May 10, 400 construction workers gathered in Seyyed ol Shohada mosque in Tehran Pars eastern suburb of Tehran and held a meeting on workers grievances. According to Mohammad Bagheri, a member of directorate of Tehran Construction Workers and Assistants Trade Association talking with ILNA, the workers were protesting not receiving unemployment benefits and lack of concrete framework on payment of their wages. The workers were also complaining about lack of government agencies attention to the workers needs.

On May 11, 150 Khan Gol steel workers, representing 273 workers staged a protest gathering by Ghorveh governors office demanding three months of back wages. Khan Gol is an intermediary contracting company with Zagros Steel Plant. According to ILNA, the workers whose years of service range from 10 to 20 years, are protesting lack of job security. According to the workers, in addition to not having paid wages for three past months, the contractor refuses to sign any contracts with the workers.

According to a worker representative, with handing parts of the operations at Zagros to Khan Gol contracting company in 2007, workers woes have increased. Production has stopped since September last year due to repair requirements and it may not resume in another three months either according to Mohammadreza Emami, the general manager of Khan Gol.

On the same day, according to the reports by Coordinating Committee to Help Form Workers Associations in Iran, taxi drivers in the Kurdish city of Sanandaj struck and gathered by the taxi terminal offices. The strike started at 9 a.m. and lasted for two hours. Taxi drivers demanded the rates conform with the rising prices of goods, resumption of payments of subsidies on auto parts and gas as well as hiring drivers based on set hours and wages and implementation of odd/even license plating to ease traffic congestion in the city.

Long Live May Day Movement
Long Live Workers Justice Seeking Movement

Greetings to all workers, working people and noble co-workers on May Day , commemorating the glorious memory of the workers killed in a police attack on a demonstration for justice in Chicago about one hundred twenty years ago. A day thus recognized by the unions and international organizations as a symbol for unity and solidarity of wide and long historical movement of labor across the globe for justice.

On the occasion of the international day of labor, syndicates, unions and workers organizations in various countries increase the public awareness and media attention on the labor cause for justice. In contrast to the state and government events, they expose social injustice and through strikes, demonstrations, protest gatherings, meetings, songs, statements and other means declare their grievances and demand their rights. In the same spirit, we call on all Iranian workers to set up their union organizations and express their demands and grievences to the authorities in such an occasion.

While the celebration of May Day in Iran dates back to almost one hundred years, unfortunately, however, because of police and security suppressions and goverment obstructions, a celebration worthy of millions of Iranian workers and working people have not taken place in Iran. Despite all the perils and obstacles, Vahed Workers Syndicate has always celebrated this day in its right through high effort, unanimity and unity and accepting the dangers entailed.

Vahed Workers Syndicate, along with the other labor unions around the globe proclaiming their demands and protesting on this day, declares some of its main demands in the following:

1. The immediate and unconditional release of Reza Shahabi, the hard working driver in Vahed Company and a member of the directorate of the Syndicate from prison, his medical treatment to gain full health recovery and return to work and payment of all dues owed since the time of his arrest.

2. Immediate reinstatement of hard working drivers of Vahed Company, Hassan Saeedi, Vahid Fereidouni and Nasser Moharamzadeh who due to pursuing their co-workers rights have been terminated last year through frame-ups and illegal means, suffering from harsh economic hardship.

3. Respect for the dignity and honor of workers and put an end to the illegal police and intelligence activities against union activists and freedom for all prisoners defending and activists of workers rights.

4. Guarantees for job security and stop to expulsion of workers, especially workers rights activists and elimination of temporary blank labor contracts.

5. Revision of the official 2013 minimum wage on par with the rampant high costs and increasing inflation and meeting families needs along standards for a humane life for food, clothing, health care and education.

6. Prevention of child labor especially in garbage collection and recycling organized by shadowy gangs and municipality administrations which is growing daily.

7. End to all injustices on human rights and full implementation of peoples rights recognized by the international institutions and organizations and human rights groups and their implementation is of duty of the rulers.

In the end, we note that Vahed Workers Syndicate finds it in its rights to resort to complaints with the International Labor Organization at its annual meeting with the help of international trade unions and based on international labor rights in case of lack of just attention paid by the authorities in the country and pursue realization of its rights through these organizations.

Wishing for Justice, Freedom and international peace

Tehran and Suburbs Vahed Workers Syndicate
May 2013

This year, similar to the recent past years, an official ceremony was held in a local stadium in Tehran, this year Shahid Motamedi stadium. Official ceremonies attended by 4000 included speeches by Workers House officials.

The coordinators of the thirty thousand workers signature petition organized a gathering by the Iranian parliament. The gathering was participated by the coordinators as well as a number of workers active in the petition drive. The demonstrators held banners highlighting the differences between the ratified 487 thousand tomans minimum wage and the poverty line of one million and five hundred thousand tomans.

Vahed Bus Workers Syndicate activists celebrated the workers day with early morning gathering by the bus terminals, distributing pastries and pens with inscriptions of May Day greetings. The union activists drove to Azadi square next, holding banners and took group pictures. The activists finally went to visit with child laborers at an association helping the street children and laborers.

May day celebrations were held in the Kurdish city of Sanandaj with about 300 participants. A rally was organized by activists with Coordinating Committee to Help Organize Workers Organizations, Free Union of Iranian Workers and other labor activists in the city. The marchers started from Ghafour neighborhood to the Azadi square. The marchers were faced with special guard unity and security forces. They, however, were able to march to Fajr, Hasan Abad and Ghaem magham Farahani streets in the city. Reports indicate around 16 arrests during the assault.

Coordinating Committee also has reported of a celebration in another Kurdish city of Naghadeh on April 30 by the Committee activists. The ceremony included speeches, songs, poetry recital and distributing pastries.

According to Iranian Labour News Agency (ILNA), the Labor House in the Kurdish city of Saghez was barred from holding open labor day ceremonies. According to Seyyed Mohammad Saleh Hosseini, an activist with the Labor House, the organization, similar to the years passed, had asked for permit to hold ceremonial events. However, they had to resort to a closed gathering instead with no participation of workers representatives. He said “holding labor day events with the participation of unrelated administration officials in a closed environment who do not have any information and knowledge on the labor issues and problems has no attraction to the workers”. He criticized the heavy security approach and sensitivity towards the official labor organizations such as Labor House.

Several independent labor organizations also issued statements on the occasion of May Day. Among those are Vahed Bus Workers Syndicate, a joint communique by Haft Tapeh Sugar Cane Workers Syndicate, Tehran and Suburbs Mechanical Metal Workers Union and Tehran and Suburbs Painters and Construction Decorative Workers Union Reinstatement Committee, Free Union of Iranian Workers, Workers Rights Defenders Center, Coordinating Committee to Help Organize Workers Organizations, Sanandaj workers, Sanandaj, Mariwan and Sarvabad Bakers Unions as well as Bushehr Sadra Workers which celebrated May Day on strike.

According to the reports by local Mahan News, the protesting workers in two complexes, Khatoon Abad Copper Complex and Midok number around 2400. The workers since two years ago, following the administration ratification on elimination of intermediary contracting companies and direct employment of workers became part of Sarcheshmeh Copper Investing Company. Sarcheshmeh, in its place, in a contract with the workers promised to sign employment contracts with them after one year.

With 18 months passed, the workers still remain without direct official contracts. In 2004, an attack by security forces on Khatoon Abad Copper miners resulted in four deaths.

The workers at Sadra have been at numerous times forced to work for 18 hours, several suffering injuries including dismemberment and disabilities. Four workers have lost their lives.

The workers have been denied their wages and years of service benefits as well as bonuses. Currently, the workers are owed February, March and April dues. They have not still received their low yearly bonuses with forty days into the new year. Neither have the years of service benefits been paid.

The workers suffer from very low job security and in case of slightest protests, they loose their jobs. Protesting contracting workers are among those that lost their jobs last January.

Sadra is involved in Marine construction and ship building as well as oil and gas projects.

Considered trainees, the workers will be exempt from the clauses of Labor Law and any benefits for duration of three years. The plan was widely opposed by Labor when introduced.

The first to incorporate the plan were the real estate agents who welcomed this scheme.

High Center of Workers Trade Associations in a statement declared worries on nullification of the Labor Law with the implementation of “Mentor/Apprentice program”. In their statement, the center declares that “the basis of the labor community rests on job security, jobs and freedom of organizations. With the emphasis of the administration, these are all being pushed back every day and it has gone to a point where the outdated systems of apprenticeship are given value on illogical reasoning and it is feared that with implementation of such regulations, the minimal labor laws will be shelved totally.”