!رئیس هیئت مدیره سندیکای هفت تپه خطاب به کارگران

As of today four members of the board of directors’ of “Haft Tapeh Sugarcane Workers’ Syndicate” by names of Feriadon Nikofard, Jalil Ahmadi, Ghorban Alipour, and Mohammad Haidari have been sent to jail and are currently incarcerated in Dezfol prison. In a few days the judicial system will also impose my prison sentence.
We have struggled to: secure our rights defend Haft Tapeh Sugarcane Workers’ honorable rights, to obtain most basic living resources, .and human rights, but we are condemned and incarcerated
In the past few days we have written an open letter to International Labor Organization, and sent a copy of it to worker’s organizations, human rights institutions and the media. We know that they are aware of the injustices imposed on Iranian workers. We know there is no one but workers themselves who can institute justice. But we went to the final step and asked all of them, are you uninformed? Are you going to do anything? We are aware that it will not result in effective actions on their part. We are aware that creation of workers autonomous organizations is workers’ inalienable right.
While employers are entitled to freely have their organizations, workers who start their independent organizations are condemned and incarcerated. We believe that only through workers’ own initiatives, with unity and solidarity amongst us, we will be able to achieve our goals and demands.
I and my colleagues at Haft Tapeh Sugarcane Workers’ Syndicate will be incarcerated for six months. During the past eight months since I was expelled from work, there were more than a few workers that besides giving me moral and spiritual support, to the extent that it was possible for them, also financially supported me. Although these amounts were far less that the wage I used to earn, but for me it was worth a thousand times more than any other assistance, because it demonstrated that workers were well aware that my co-workers and I were fighting to defend their rights. For this very reason, and based on my belief, the only help I received was from workers. Though the total amount was less than enough to support even my previous level of living, but it was highly valuable.
Such assistance made me indebted to my working class colleagues, instead of my relying on any other institutions, persons or places. We hope that this working class tradition become a common practice amongst all workers.
Until I was the only one expelled, the assistance from my co-workers was sufficient, but today in addition to me there are four other workers who are being deprived from receiving their wages. Many friends have asked how could other workers, - who don’t have face to face contact with the families of these five incarcerated workers-, express their solidarity by giving their financial aid to the families of the imprisoned workers.
Today at 11:45 AM, before two more of my friends were sent to court and jail, in the last contact with them, and in agreement with them and other co-workers, we all reached a consensus that a bank account under my name shall be established, so all financial aid from workers could be deposited there, and through that financial assistance will be provided to imprisoned workers’ families. (The account number will soon be publicly announced).
Workers!
Now is the time to support workers who have struggled for workers’ rights at Haft Tapeh, and were elected by Sugarcane workers to represent them in an independent organization, and today are sentenced to prison terms only because of defending their labor rights. Without a doubt, tomorrow and afterward when we are not in prison, we also will take part in this endeavor.
My advance gratitude to Haft Tapeh workers and all other workers for their support; I hope that through our unity and solidarity for creations of independent workers’ organizations, we will achieve our righteous goals and demands.

Hoping for workers unity
Ali Nejati
President of the board of directors of the Syndicate of Workers of Haft Tapeh Sugarcane Company
Saturday 16th of month of Abban, year 1388
November 7, 2009
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