Tuesday, August 23, 2016 4:00:56 PM
Author: Kaveh Taheri
Photo Credit by Google.
At least 22 workers died as a result of unsafe workplace conditions in the past month, Iran's official media report.
Iran's regime imprisons dozens of laborers and independent trade union activists for speaking out in defense of their basic rights. The regime is astonishingly violating laborers' rights just for peaceful assembly. Unemployment, poverty and arbitrary arrest of workers have been skyrocketed under Rouhani's cabinet.
The so-called moderate President Hassan Rouhani promised for more moderation and economy improvement. "The existing problems in the field of economy and other sectors are due to [incorrect] management by the [incumbent] administration. With proper planning, production units can be activated and jobs can be created, but this needs stability because sometimes economic regulations of the country have changed 50 times in a single month", viewpoint of Hassan Rouhani in his televised interview in 2013."
Iran still faces a huge destruction after three years presided by Rouhani cabinet which mostly worsen than Ahmadinejad's period especially in Human Rights and economy.
"Iranian workers are on the front lines of the struggle to demand such basic rights as freedom of assembly and association," said Sarah Leah Whitson, Middle East director at Human Rights Watch. "They are often the first victims of government crackdowns that aim to silence criticism."
Iran's economy has been crippled by internal government's corruption, mismanagement, and neglect. In past year, at least 5,863 workers have been dismissed; the rate of unemployment rises up to 11% this year that unofficial statistics indicate a higher number than that. On the eve of the Iranian New Year, at least 240,000 people lost their job. 150 individuals per hour are joining to unemployment population in the country, officials say.
Shahrokh Zamani
Shahrokh Zamani, imprisoned worker activist since 2011-2015, died in Rajai Shahr prison. "How many political prisoners lost their lives due to the excruciating prison term in Rajai Shahr (Gohar Dasht) prison in Karaj, included Valiollah Feyz Mahdavi, Amir-Hussein Heshmat Saran, Mansour Radpour and Afshin Osanlou, rights' groups stated."
2,452 workers died due to unsafe workplace conditions in different cities of Iran last year. At least 66 laborers were arrested last year including three worker activist in Sanandaj City, one in Tabriz, three laborers in Semnan Province, ten laborer activists in Asaluyeh, a worker activist in Tehran, 35 other activists in Kerman, 12 activists in Lorestan Province and an activist in Bandar Lengeh, HRANA reported.
Laborers Rights Are Human Rights
More than 1,000 workers were dismissed from Kaleh Factory in Amol of Mazandaran and Jam Petrochemical Complex in Bushehr, Mehr News Agency says.
13 laborers were summoned to the Rezvanshahr Court in Gilan by their employee appeal for their peaceful protest of workers' rights, ILNA says. 300 workers have not been paid for more than ten months in Pars Carpet Factory in Qazvin, ILNA reports. Workers of Green Space of Khoramabad Municipality have not been paid 5-8 months, and workers of Damash Mineral Water Factory have not been paid after 75 days, ILNA reports. Forty workers of Yasuj Sugarloaf say that "we have nothing to eat". They have not been paid for three months, ILNA reports. Ebrahim Madadi, vice-President of Bus Syndicate, was sentenced to five years and three months for peaceful activism at Branch 26 of the Revolutionary Court in Tehran. A phone call summoned the president of Chadormalou Association Akbar Alipour along with other laborer activists.
The Revolutionary Court summoned Jafar Azimzadeh and Shapour Ehsani Rad in Saveh. Jafar Azimzadeh were previously imprisoned for his peaceful activism and frequently started hunger strike in objection of laborers condition in Iran.
200 workers of Tile-Making Factory have not been paid for months, ILNA reported in July. Two workers were beaten, kidnapped by their employee and taken into dogs cage for 24 hours when they went to the furniture manufacturing in Karaj for payment, Hamshahri Online says. 211 workers were fired from Foulad Zagros in Kurdistan Province, ILNA reports. 80 laborers was dismissed from Coal Mine Baladeh and brick manufacturing in Firouzabad, ILNA says.
Police arrested 24 workers of the municipality in June. They were gathered for postponed salary in front of the municipality office in Ahwaz city, ILNA reported. Zahed Moradi, laborer activist, was summoned and interrogated by Intelligence Service agents in Sanandaj city, HRANA said. 17 workers from Iran's Agh Darreh Gold Mine were stopped at a court in West Azerbaijan to be sentenced to flogging at Branch 101 of the Criminal Court in Takab City, rights groups reported. The workers were shamefully sentenced to be lashed for staging a peaceful rally to protest their employer's refusal to renew the contracts of 350 miners in December 2014. Additionally, nine workers from Iran's Bafgh Mining Iron Ore Company were sentenced to suspended incarceration and flogging at Branch 105 of the Criminal Court in Yazd City, their lawyer said. They were convicted to suspended imprisonment and flogging for "staging a peaceful union rally" two years ago.
170 workers of the Elegant Textile Factory in Semnan have not been paid for months, ILNA says. Three hundred laborers have not been paid for months by Shisheh Abgineh Factory was bankrupt, ILNA says. 170 workers of Jam Ceramic Tile Manufacturing have not been paid for months, ILNA said. 1,500 workers of Coal Mines have been fired in last six months, ILNA has quoted by the president of the Mines Commission of the Iran's Economy House in May. At least five worker activists were arrested in the International Workers' Day in Sanandaj and taken into an unknown location by security forces. Security forces arrested two members of the Bus Syndicate for a few hours in Tehran. Dozens of laborer activists were summoned on the eve of the International Workers' Day.
Thirty laborers of Mojab Printing Office were dismissed for unknown reason, ILNA reported. At least 15 workers were arrested in an assembly in objection to unjust work conditions in front of Meydook Copper Complex, ILNA says. 150 workers of a Coal Mine in Tabas were dismissed, ILNA reported in April.
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