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پیام به اجلاس سالانه سازمان جهانی كار درژوئن ٢٠١٣

كانون مدافعان حقوق كارگر                                                                                   جمعه ۱٧ خرداد ۱۳۹٢

Message of the Workers' Rights Defenders Association (WRDA) to the annual
Meeting of International Labor Organization, June 2013
With abundance of greetings to the representatives of labor delegations participating at this meeting And, thanks to the friends at International Trade Union Workers’ Confederation (ITUC) who invited the Center for the Workers' Rights Defenders Association to participate in this meeting as an independent workers’ organization from Iran.
Unfortunately, this year, like last year, there is no representative from workers of iran in that meeting, and we were unable to send our representative to this meeting, because one of our representatives to the ILO meeting (Fariborz Raees-Dana) was banned from leaving the country and his passport was seized. The other representative (Haleh Safarzadeh) too is facing various threats and concerns regarding traveling to and from Iran.
In the past year, we provided our report regarding the labor conditions in Iran which was presented as a document at the meeting. Now, emphasizing on the same report, we inform you of the state of the workers in the past year. 1- Last year, Iranian economy experienced 45 percent inflation in the commodities and municipal consumer services sectors, and average inflation rate for basic services and commodities needed by Iranian workers such as shelter (in poor neighborhoods), and regular food such as grains, dairy, red and white meat, was over 45%, the cost of health and medicine was faced with unbelievable rise, to a point where workers’ share of the cost was approximately 70%, of which the Social Insurance pays only 30 percent, the Iranian workers were faced with more than average 45% inflation rate.
Following the shock of January 2013 caused by the widespread oil sanctions, the foreign currency exchange rates tripled. The US dollar which was 1,100 tomans jumped to 3,500 tomans. This forced the exporters to take the traditional commodities out of peoples’ hands and send them abroad. The government helped this policy. However, because items such as medicine, industrial parts and some food items were imported, they became expensive and the load of such expenses fell on workers shoulders. The importing policies with political motives and diplomatic quid pro quos caused closures of production units and created unemployment expansions. Iranian politicians and merchants enjoyed that policy.
Investment frights, corruptions and red tapes continued in Iran, which has caused depression and unemployment along with escalation of inflation in the country. Last year, the Iranian courts reviewed fraud cases of over 1,000 billion tomans which were showcased by the government media. The real figures amount to several times more than what was announced.
2- The effects of rise in foreign currency exchange rates rippled through all economic sectors and created general price raise. The average or real wages of workers dropped to 45 percent compared to last year’s values, and at times dropped to as low as 30%. It went to a point where workers’ wages equaled $300 per month and despite apparent increase of 10 to 15% of their wages this year, it is only $120 per month now.
3- At the same time, yet as before, in setting the minimum wage, the real representatives of the workers were absent in wage control committees and even the present three-point approach in the laws is practically meaningless, only the collaboration of the government-employer rules.
4- The unemployment rate is over 5.7 million, most of them young. The general average rate is approximately 19 percent, unemployment among youth is 27% and rate of unemployment among female workers is estimated at over 24 percent.
5- The objections of unemployed workers’ and the protests of workers who have not received their wages for 6 to 14 months are still ignored. The rights to organize, demonstrate and strike are ignored, workers who attempt them are immediately fired and many of them are branded as agitators, spies, conspirators and insurgents.
6- To fight against any type of organization, the working environment at large industries have become increasingly militarized and security prone.
7- The labor activists are still in jail, including Shahrokh Zamani, Mohammad Jarrahi and Reza Shahabi who are serving their sentences. Behnam Ebrahimzadeh who is on leave due to his child’s illness has been repeatedly summoned to jail. Furthermore, a large number of labor activists are charged with threatening accusations, and their cases are ongoing. Many journalists, teachers and other social trades activists are either serving their sentences or are awaiting the final court decisions regarding their sentences; among them, Rasoul Boudaghi (teacher), Mehdo Shandiz (teacher), Keyvan Samimi (journalist), Masoud Bastani (journalist), Mahsa Amerabadi (journalist), and …
8- The gender and ethnic discrimination at work place still continues. These discriminations are colorful and widespread. According to reliable and independent sources, women’s wages in many cases especially in small workshops is only up to one third of men’s for equal work. As well, some immigrant workers particularly Afghan laborers receive very little in wages. On the other hand in oil projects, foreign workers receive salaries several times more than local workers which are another aspect of discrimination. For political reasons, the salary of a professional from a country with oil contract is several times more than the salary of the local person with the same professional expertise.
9- The unpaid wages are still one of the most important issues facing the Iranian workers’ community, which must be paid as soon as possible. In large projects, payment of once-every-few-months has become a normal pattern. In such projects, a collective action to receive overdue wages (protest and strike) usually results in partial payment of the overdue wages and expulsion of the leaders of the action. Many workers demanding their overdue wages, became unemployed and were placed in employment black list, which practically highly reduced their chances of being re-employed, and for that reason, their families suffer from immense difficulties. Usually employers keep a portion of workers’ wages and salaries. There is a same trend in small workshops and private companies. Even in government hospitals doctors’ salaries are paid with delays. The salaries of teachers are also paid once in every few months. In many private schools, teachers’ wages and salaries are paid with delays of few days to few months.
10- Removal of vast sections of workers from the Labor Act (workshops with less than 10 employees) has opened the employers’ hands in discriminating against workers. Practically, these workers, which constitute a large portion of the work force, are in a complete lawless state.
11- Blank contracts are still in existence which entitles the employers to fire workers whenever they wish to do so.
12- Education and health in Iran are getting farther and farther from the reaches of the workers on a daily basis. This is to such point that according to reliable sources, more that 3 million children are prevented to study in Iran, they eventually enter the work force and increase child labor rates every day. This is one of the highest ratios of child labor in the world and no short term improvement is forecasted.
13- Work related incidents in Iran are among deadliest in the world. On average, few workers injure every hour, all as result of lack of security and safety measures at work place and employers’ greed. In oil and gas or other large projects, forecasting few deaths is a norm in preliminary planning.
14- At the end, we would like to remind you that one of the real demands of workers and independent worker activists has always been that in the international meetings related to labor and workers’ issues, the real representatives of independent workers of Iran to replace the government and affiliated workers’ organizations who participate as representatives of Iranian workers. Albeit, this issue has never been seriously paid attention from ILO to and in the past thirty years, the government representatives and self-nominated have always taken the place of the real Iranian workers in such sessions and as a result, the issues and demands of the Iranian workers were not properly heard. This issue must be resolved once and for all, and the real Iranian workers’ representatives must be present in these sessions.
15- Further to serious support of demands of workers around the world, especially the protests in Asia, America and Europe in the past year demanding eradication of economic austerity policies, we demand the support of the world’s workers and labor unions regarding the rightful demands of Iranian workers.

With many gratitude and regards,
Workers' Rights Defenders Association (WRDA)
June 2013