‎
Ghazal Azadfar

On the occasion of the International Labor Day (May 1st) Rooz spoke with Saeed ‎Torabian is a member of the board of Tehran’s Vahed Bus Company Workers Syndicate ‎responsible for the organization’s PR about different workers issues and the ‎organization’s goals. Here are the excerpts.‎

Rooz (R ): What plans does the Workers Syndicate of Vahed Bus Company of Tehran ‎have for International Labor Day?‎

Saeed Torabian (ST): The members of the syndicate plan to declare their protests to the ‎public at a gathering of all workers. Some of the slogans and posters they will have are: ‎‎“Workers have a right to a syndicate and a dignified life”, “Freedom for Osanloo” (a ‎reference to the president of the syndicate who has been behind bars), “Workers have the ‎right to freedom, justice, and job security”, and “Temporary job contracts must be ‎annulled.”‎

R: Why did the government not allow workers associations to celebrate International ‎Labor Day?‎
ST: Government’s like Iran’s do not wish a gathering International Labor Day to take ‎place because on this day workers across the world declare a common goal and make ‎their requests through their solidarity and unity.‎

R: As International Labor Day on May 1 approaches, what are the problems facing ‎Iranian workers?‎
ST: Mass expulsions and non-payment of their wages are amongst the principal issues ‎before them. Because the Iranian government has the agenda of implementing its ‎privatization program under which most manufacturing plants and workshops are planned ‎to be handed over to the private sector, many of these plants lack proper managers who ‎only think of their own profits. General this approach leads to the negation of workers ‎problems and the non-payment of their wages. Furthermore, because of the large volume ‎of current imports many plants become bankrupt and their workers are consequently ‎expelled.‎

R: What is the impact of this on Iran’s working community?‎
ST: Nothing other than making workers more determined in their trade activities. Such ‎events do not lead to workers abandoning their protests. To cite an example, one can ‎point to the large protests of last year by Alborz Tire workers or the Haft Tapeh Sugar ‎Cane company workers.‎

R: What has been the impact of these protests outside Iran?‎
ST: The coverage of such events is only done well in the foreign press. In Iran, except for ‎a few newspapers which half heartedly reported the events, nothing is reported. ‎Regarding the solidarity of international workers with those in Iran, last year the ‎international federation of workers in the transportation industry and the confederation of ‎international of free workers held a two day solidarity gathering during which very good ‎support was expressed for the worker’s associations and workers in Iran.‎