Arrest of Haft Tape sugar factory workers

November 07, 2007
To: Worker organizations and unions all around the world

The Iranian Ministry of Intelligence has started to arrest striking Haft-Tape workers!
The workers demand international support!

On Monday, November 5th one of the workers of Haft-Tape Sugar Factory naming Qorban (Ramazan) Alipour was arrested by agents of the Ministry of Intelligence and was taken to an unidentified place. On Wednesday November 7 th at 7.30 a.m. another worker of the same facilities naming Mohammad Haydari Mesr was also arrested. Today (Wednesday) workers stopped working in the morning round to protest the arrests and gathered in front of the main office of the factory. Workers declared that unless their comrades will be released, all 4000 permanent and 2000 temporary workers would go on strike on Thursday November 8 th.

The detained workers are accused of participating in strike for unpaid wages and benefits, circulating petition and collecting 2500 signatures demanding the right to form their union and their regular weekly general assembly. You might have already been informed that Haft-Tape workers went on strike on September 29 th demanding their unpaid wages and other benefits and rights and continued their action until October 9th. They succeeded to get the unpaid wages after 11 days. Nowadays, the Islamic regime tries to terrorize workers in order to prevent them from building their organization by arresting worker leaders.

Haft-Tape Sugar Factory workers have stood united and firm against such conspiracies. However, as the pressures put on them by the Ministry of Intelligence are intensified they need widespread international support. The International Labour Solidarity Committee calls on all worker organizations and unions to support Haft-Tape workers and to condemn the Islamic Republic for its anti-worker activities. Here are some of immediate demands of Haft-Tape workers:

1-Immediate and unconditional release of qorban Alipour and Mohammah Haydari Mesr;
2-Ending arrests of workers and cancellation of their cases;
3-The right to form weekly general assembly of workers on Thursdays from 1 to 2 p.m.;
4-The right to form their union;

An international action in objection to arrest of workers such as Mamhmoud Salehi, Mansour Osanlou, and Ebrahim Madadi and urging their release and freedom for all political prisoners; an action similar to that of February 15 and August 9, 2006, can pressure the Islamic regime further and will be an effective step toward the release of detained worker leaders. We look forward to your actions in this regard.

Sincerely,

Shahla Daneshfar
Coordinator of the International Labor Solidarity Committee of the Worker-communist Party of Iran