The Need for an Organized and Unified Struggle
against Anti-Labor Social-Economical Programs
With the initiative of World Federation of Trade Unions, October 3rd
of this year, has been called the “Action Day”, the day of struggle against
unemployment. On this day, in a protest campaign against unemployment and
economic policies, which intensify the unemployment problem, labor unions and
labor activists around the world, have organized extensive activities to display
their militant solidarity. As an ally and supporter of the Iran ’s existing labor-union
movement, the Iranian Committee for Labor-Union Relations, in this
regard and on this day of protest has tried to be along-side the big family of
the World Federation of Trade Unions. Concerning the unemployment crisis and
the protest struggle on October 3rd, the Action Day, the following
is prepared by the Iranian Committee for Labor-Union Relations and presented to
the World Federation of Trade Unions.
We live in a world which in
capitalism’s crisis we are witnessing a targeted assault on the workers’ rights,
historical achievements and interests. Using this crisis, managers and
different governments around the world are threatening workers’ job security
and attacking their recognized and obvious rights. Unemployment problem is
inherent to capitalism; and the current wide-spread economic crisis is the
cause of deepening unemployment around the world. Unemployment is not, and can
not be, specific to one country, one continent or a collection of certain
countries. All over the world, implementation of the neo-liberal
social-economical policies dictated by the imperialist organizations such as
the International Monetary Fund, the World Bank and the European Union, not
only has targeted rights and historical achievements of the working class, but it
has also created the unemployment problem and caused its deepening. The
situation in our country Iran
is a good example for comprehending this subject and better understanding of
the relation between implementation of anti-labor policies dictated by the international
capitalist organizations and starting and spreading of the unemployment
problem. Unemployment in Iran
is rampant. According to the official statistics published by the Islamic
Republic’s Center for Statistics, more than 23 percent of the youth between the
ages of 15 and 29 are unemployed. Official statistics and estimates also
indicate that unemployment rate until the end of this past spring was 10.7
percent. Islamic Republic’s official sources have stated: “Until this spring,
12 million people had no role in the country’s economy.” According to another
statistics published by the Islamic Republic’s Center for Statistics,
unemployment rate among women (especially women workers), is twice that for
men. This statistics emphasis: “18 percent of the men between the ages of 15 to
30 and 41 percent of the women in the same age range (15 to 30 years of age),
are unemployed.”
In a statistic which was published last year, Islamic Republic’s Center for
Statistics stated, during the last four years at least 1800 industrial production
plants and factories in Iran
have been shut down; where as a consequence thousands of workers have lost
their jobs. According to this official statistics, during the past recent
years, every year on average 530 industrial plants have been closed and the
workers employed in those production centers have joined the large pool of
unemployed. Also last month (August), while presenting his government’s
economic policies, the Iranian President Hassan Rouhani, while emphasizing on
implementation of the International Monetary Fund’s prescriptions, he admitted:
During the last few years 2000 production plants have been closed and 500000
workers have lost their jobs.
Unemployment problem and its escalation in Iran , most of all is due to the social-economical
policies and in general Islamic Republic’s social-economical orientation. This
orientation is in accordance with the international capitalist organizations’
dictates, especially orders of the International Monetary Fund and the World
Bank. In recent years, different Islamic Republic governments in fact have been
administrators of the imperialist organizations’ economic programs and commands
in Iran .
Implementation of the economic deregulation program, dictated by the World
Bank, under the name and title of “Targeting of the Subsidies”, during the
anti-national Ahmadinejad’s government and its continuation in the current
government of Hassan Rouhani, is a clear example. To make Iran ’s membership in the World Trade
Organization possible, according to this program which earlier had been
implemented in countries such as Argentina ,
Chile , Turkey ..…, and devastated their
economies, subsidies, including subsidies of food items, housing, energy, and
production had to be eliminated. In addition, to attract and draw foreign
capital, workers’ and toilers’ wages, and the Labor and Social Security Law had
to be reformed and changed to satisfy foreign investors. In other words,
programs such as privatization of the industries, especially key profitable
industries, and deregulation of the industries under the name of “flexibility
in the labor market”, create low-cost and obedient work-force for the privatized
companies (these companies especially belong to the Revolutionary Guards,
parasitic organizations connected to the government and directors attached to
the government), and international monopolies. The point that we must emphasize
is that the privatization program has created an extensive wave of
unemployment, especially unemployment of the industrial workers in Iran .
Companies and factories which are given to the private sector, mainly on the
bases of relations, not on a specific legal approach, all of them without
exception start modification of their work force, meaning firing their workers
and employers. In the oil industries, textile industries, and steel and
aluminum production plants, this trend is widely and rapidly taking place and
has caused serious damages to the interests of the working class. Following
increases in the number of unemployed, wide-spread use of the
temporary-contracts has become a devastating factor in the Iranian workers’ and
toilers’ lives. With increase and expansion of the unemployment, and with the
Islamic Republic government’s support, managers only hire workers with
temporary contracts.
According to the official reports, more than 90 percent of the Iranian
workers work with temporary and blank contracts; meaning, the kind of contracts
that the worker only signs the bottom of the contract, and managers complete
its content later as they wish. Temporary contracts at the same time are levers
in the hands of the government and big capitalists for exerting pressure on
workers and destroying their labor union, trade and political rights. Iranian
workers are denied of the right to strike; and their labor-union rights are not
being recognized. Unemployment has lead to intense exploitation of workers as
well. According to the official reports published in Iran ’s internal media: “In general,
this summer more than 41 percent of the workers over 15 years of age…..worked
over 44 hours a week and the job market favors over-time.” At the same time
another report indicated: “Doing similar work, women, especially women workers,
make 23 percent less than men….. Unemployment has caused women workers to work
with lower wages.” We must also add, in most cases, workers receive their low
wages and overt-time salaries with several months of delay, and often more than
six months of delay. The phenomenon of unpaid wages in Iran has become a common occurrence
and has turned into millions of workers’ misfortune. Only in the recent three
months, because of unpaid-wages, tens of protests have occurred in Iran ’s steal
producing industries, oil industries, Southern Pars gas producing region, Aslavieh,
and iron mines. The phenomenon of unpaid wages is closely connected with the
increases in unemployment. This condition is at a time that Iranian workers are
denied of their labor union rights and are not allowed to form their
independent organization; as it is detailed in the labor-union rights charter
and the International Labor Organization’s articles 87 and 98. Six months of
jail sentence and 50 lashes of whip verdict for the Razy Petrochemical factory
workers, with the trumped-up charges of “disturbing the peace, insult and
threat”, is a recent example of brutal violation of the Iranian workers’
labor-union rights.
Iranian working class and toilers, which were the initial victims of the imperialist
interfering sanctions, their lives, interests and job security now, considering
the entire Islamic Republic government’s policies and appearance of the
imperialist monopolies in Iran’s highly lucrative market, are destroyed and
devastated. The interfering imperialist sanctions targeted our country’s
production and our national economy; and it served the interests of Iran ’s
parasitic sectors of capitalism. Now with the government’s programs and Islamic
Republic leadership’s (theocratic leader) “Resistive Economy”, to attract and
draw American, European and Japanese companies, labor laws are being changed
and reformed and cheap and obedient work-force is being prepared. Unemployment
has further weakened Iranian workers’ existing labor union movement; and we
must emphasize, with implementation of the Islamic Republic’s current
social-economical programs, more than ever, Iranian workers will be driven to
poverty.
To combat the phenomenon of unemployment, the existing Iranian labor-union
movement and independent and real labor syndicates, are correctly fighting
against social-economical programs dictated by the International Monetary Fund,
and implemented by the Islamic Republic; and in conjunction with that, using
all opportunities and openings, they struggle for restoration of the labor
union rights. Struggle against unemployment crisis, is not and can not be
separate from the fight against anti-labor economic policies. At present, an
extensive, but unorganized workers’ and toilers’ movement exist in Iran; which
its organizational and solidarity level needs to be elevated; and for that, it
needs support of its brothers and sisters of the same class from across the
world, especially, the great and glorious family of the World Federation of
Trade Unions.
As it is evident, in our country Iran as well, the cause and
expansion of unemployment, is due to the programs dictated to the governments
by the international capitalist organizations. In Europe under the name of
economic austerity, and in Iran
and similar countries under the name of “economic deregulation” and “reform of
the economic structure”! But all these names contain the same content, and
similar and parallel general idea; and their sharp edge is pointed toward
workers’ lives and job security.
In conclusion, we would like once again to show our gratitude for the
opportunity provided for exchange of ideas. While supporting the important
initiative of the Action Day and indicating our active participation in it, in
solidarity with the glorious family of the World Federation of Trade Unions, we
emphasize, our struggle, our goals and ideals are the same.
Long live Iran ’s
gallant working class!
Salute to Iran ’s
independent syndicates and brave and conscious labor-union activist!
Victory to the Iranian
workers’ struggle for restoration of labor-union rights!
Salute to the imprisoned
Iranian workers and labor activists!
Long live workers’
international solidarity!
Long live the World
Federation of Trade Unions!
The Iranian Committee for
Labor-Union Relations
