Labor and Allies Take to the Streets Despite Heavy Security Presence on International Workers Day in Iran

Workers took to the streets in various cities in Iran to celebrate the International Workers Day to raise their demands.  Despite Heavy security forces presence, workers staged demonstrations in various cities.

The city of Tehran was turned into a fortified city from early hours of morning with special forces, police, and Basij militia filling the streets close to the offices of the Labor Ministry where a gathering was planned in the afternoon.  Although the show of force was intended to dissuade any gatherings from taking place, thousands did appear at the site and stood silently or walked around the Ministry building for about two hours.

Earlier at noon a workers gathering numbering around 500 in front of the parliament was confronted with special forces. There were some reports of skirmishes taking place resulting in injuries of up to 30 people.  The workers were marching in groups of 40.

Special Forces Roaming the Streets of Tehran on May Day

Students in the Tehran University staged marches in the university compounds chanting among others: “Students, Workers, Unite, Unite”. Some buses and taxi drivers also staged a short symbolic strike action in the city.

Tehran University Students Chanting \”Workers, Students, Unite, Unite\”

In the industrial city of Qazvin, around eight thousands workers gathered in the city stadium starting at 9:00 a.m.  The workers were chanting “workers, workers, unite, unite” among others. Several speakers called for an end to temporary contracts and for permanent employment, heath care, and other demands. Several workers from Alborz China factory put up a banner stating ”we the workers of Alborz China factory are calling for a stop to the factory closure.  We the workers of Alborz China factory have not received wages for 7 months.  We have not received our bonuses for 2008 and 2009.”  There was heavy security force presence throughout the city.  The workers gathering ended around 1:00 p.m.

In the city of Tabriz, hundreds of workers gathered around the city labor offices in Khomeini Avenue at 11:00 a.m.  The heavy security presence was also visible in Tabriz with up to 40 police vehicles surrounding the workers’ gathering.

In the city of Ahvaz, the capital of southern Khuzestan province, Ahvaz Pipe factory workers gathered in front of the city labor offices at 11:00 a.m.  The workers were protesting non-payment of back wages for the past 13 months.  Security forces had heavy presence in those premises as well.

In the city of Shiraz, workers including those from Shiraz Meat Packing Complex and Iran Telecommunication Industries gathered in front of the governors mansion with heavy security forces presence.  The workers numbered more than 2000.  ITI workers were protesting not having received their wages for the past 13 months.  Shiraz Meat Packing Complex workers banner read: “Happy Unemployment Day Workers; we will not stop until we gain our rights -the laid off workers of the Shiraz Meat Packing Complex”.

There are reports of confrontations with the security forces in the cities of Isfahan and Dastgerd and Homayoun Shahr.  The injured are reported to have been taken to Al Zahra hospital in Isfahan.

In the city of Sanandaj in Kurdistan, a gathering was held in the main city bazaar where sweets where passed around and a ten point declaration read stating workers’ demands. Workers Day celebrations were also held in the city of Saqez where Mahmoud Salehi, a labor leader with the Coordinating Committee to Facilitate Creation of Workers Organizations, spoke.

The workers also used the government-sanctioned events to press for their demands. In the main “Workers’ House” gathering in the city of Tehran, the workers started their complaints while the main ten point declaration was being read.  One worker abruptly took to the tribune and said: “We have problems.  We are destitute.  We, the construction workers, have had a year with no wages, no jobs.  Our wives and children need bread. We want the labor minister and the head of the Workers House to look into our situation.” Security forces outside stood guard and the Labor Minister who was supposed to attend the meeting did not show up.

The labor minister, Abdolreza Sheikholeslami, on Friday, had attended a meeting in the city of Mashhad where he did not utter a single word about labor.  The speech was responded with protests by the workers afterwards.  According the web site Kalame, one worker said: “We were expecting to hear better words from the minister on improvement of the workers conditions but in his speech he did not even say a single word about the workers.”  The students of Ferdowsi University in Mashhad went along with their announced hunger strike in support of the striking workers.  They refrained from attending classes for two hours.

In Tehran, about 1500 workers gathered outside the ministry of internal affairs where Ahmadinejad was speaking with selected Basiji workers.  The workers chanted their demands outside the meeting.

In the city of Qom, the religious heartland of Iran, Hamid China factory workers attended the “Workers House” gathering in Eshghe Ali Hosseiynieh mosque and pressed their demands despite the speaker’s attempts at preventing them.

Gatherings have also been reported in the cities of Semnan, and Hamedan among others.