Industrial Workers of the World

The International Transport Workers' Federation (ITF) has declared 6 March the International Day of Solidarity with union leaders currently jailed in Iran.

The campaign calls in particular for the release of Mansour Osanloo, the leader and founder of the Tehran bus workers' union and Mahmoud Salehi, the leader of the bakers union in Iranian Kurdistan.

Osanloo was arrested in July last year and sentenced to five years in prison, while Salehi has been in jail since 1 May 2007.

Both union leaders have been accused of "attacks against the security of the state and "propaganda against the regime."

Salehi was arrested as he was about to give a speech at a Labour Day event, while Osanloo was arrested soon after he returned to Iran form a trip to Europe where he was participating in an ITF congress.

"Article 26 of the Iranian constitution recognises the right of all citizens of the Islamic Republic to participate in party politics, union organisations and other types of associations," said Ebrahim Madadi, the deputy leader at the Public Transport Workers Union of Tehran in an interview with Adnkronos International (AKI).

"It's on the basis of this article of the constitution, that three years ago, Osanloo, myself and others decided to revive our union to defend the rights of the workers of Tehran's public transport system," said Madadi, who himself was released from prison on bail and has to make a court appearance soon.

"Besides Osanloo, who has already been in jail for months and was unjustly condemned to five years in prison, I and another 17 leaders of the Public Transport Workers Union of Tehran are waiting for trial and we could receive a prison term of 24 to 48 months," Madadi told AKI.

Madadi and many other public transport union workers have been suspended by Tehran's city council, which runs the public transport system.

According to Madadi, they have also been "deprived of other rights such as unemployment benefits and public health services".

"Other colleagues who are still working and are members of the union, have been told to continue working by the security services of the company, interrogated and threatened," Madadi told AKI.

Those who refuse to resign from the union, have not been paid overtime and have not had their years of service recognised," he said.

"The situation is very serious and the government does not have even the slightest intention to recognise our rights, rights that are recognised under international conventions," said Madadi.

Madadi believes that the global mobilisation of international union workers is "very important."

"I believe that international pressure will pavy the way to the recognition of our rights by the Iranian government," said Madadi.

"The mobilisation on 6 March, which I hope will involve union workers from all countries, especially those in Europe, is perhaps the only weapon that we have at our disposal, together with the solidarity of
our people, to liberate the jailed union workers, whose only crime wasdefending their rights and those of their co-workers," he said.