Labor Activists in Iran Call on ILO for Action Against Workers' Rights Violations

Two imprisoned labor activists have highlighted the ongoing violations of workers' rights in Iran, campaigning for the International Labor Organization to fight the persecution faced by labor unions. 

In a joint letter to the International Labor Organization (ILO), Reza Shahabi and Davoud Razavi, held in Tehran's Evin Prison, emphasized the regime's use of arrests, harassment, and imprisonment for advocating workers' rights, as a tool to quash unrest.

“We and many other workers were fired, harassed, and imprisoned because we believed in labor activism and independent labor organizations."

Shahabi and Razavi's letter, released ahead of the 112th Session of the International Labor Conference, said the Iranian labor rights community's calls for international support are being ignored. The letter also detailed the sham charges and prison sentences imposed on Shahabi and Razavi, amid Iran's brutal suppression of dissent.

Last month the Iranian Writers' Association (IWA) called for the unconditional release of all imprisoned workers and labor activists. They pointed out that over 1,600 strikes and protests occurred last year across the country from a range of industries, emphasizing that "such a large number of demonstrations shows both the extent of the looting of the labor force and the rampage by those in power."

Amid the worst recession since the establishment of the Islamic Republic in 1979, the IWA stressed the hardships being faced by workers on low salaries and enduring horrific working conditions as at least one third of Iranians are now living below the poverty line.