ON May Day 2015, we, the representatives of trade unions around the world, raise our voice again in solidarity with the struggle of Iranian workers and trade unionists for fundamental rights and better pay and working conditions.

In pursuit of our call on August 1 2013 on the eve of the inauguration of Iranian President Hassan Rouhani, we once again call on him to fulfil the promises he made during his 2013 election campaign to act on the legitimate demands of Iranian workers for a decent living wage and the right to form, join and belong to a trade union of their choice.

We remind the Iranian president that two years after his election on a platform of undertakings to respond to the demands of Iranian people, unemployment is still high and increasing, inflation is sky high, prices of basic and essential goods are out of the reach of workers, wages are not paid on time and destitution has reached catastrophic levels.

Conventions on health and safety are openly flouted.

Since last July, large groups of workers — including miners, car workers, teachers, nurses and others, in all provinces — have taken to the streets and demonstrated outside the Iranian Parliament to demand their legitimate rights.

These rights are set out in international conventions such as ILO Conventions 87 and 98.

It is only by the president and his government responding to these legitimate demands that working people in Iran and their trade union brothers and sisters across the world can be confident that they can rely on his words.

Over the years we have continuously received verified reports of workers and trade unionists being arrested, imprisoned, fired and deprived of their livelihoods.

Currently, a number of trade union activists are serving prison sentences for the sole “offence” of being trade unionists and campaigning for workers’ rights, decent wages and improved working conditions.

We hold that no workers should be detained in prison for demanding their internationally accepted rights.

The trade unions supporting this May Day call to action are united in calling upon the government of the Islamic Republic of Iran to:

• Release immediately all trade unionists imprisoned for their trade union activities, including Ali-Reza Hashemi (general secretary, Teachers’ Association), Rassoul Bodaghi (Teachers’ Association), Mahmood Bagheri (Teachers’ Association), Mohammad Davari (Teachers’ Association), Abdulreza Ghanabri (Teachers’ Association), Shahrokh Zamani (Painters’ and Decorators’ Union), Behnam Ebrahimdzadeh (Painters’ and Decorators’ Union), Mohammad Jarrahi (Painters’ and Decorators’ Union), Mahmoud Salehi (Kurdish trade unionist), Ebrahim Madadi (the Union of Workers of the Tehran and Suburbs Bus Company — Sherkat-e Vahed) and Davoud Razavi (the Union of Workers of the Tehran and Suburbs Bus Company — Sherkat-e Vahed)
• Halt the sacking of trade unionists and workers’ activists on the basis of their trade union activities and reinstate those who have lost their jobs for campaigning for workers’ rights
• Remove all obstacles preventing Iranian workers from forming independent trade unions and joining trade unions in accordance with ILO Conventions 87 (freedom of association) and 98 (collective bargaining)
• Lift the ban on the right of workers to commemorate and celebrate May Day, organise May Day events and mark May 1 as a national holiday.

IndustriALL Global Union,
ICTUR (International Centre for Trade Union Rights),
TUC,
Amnesty UK Trade Union Network,
Unite,
NUT,
Unison,
RMT,
FBU,
NUJ,
PEO (Pancyprian Federation of Labour),
Petrol-Is (Petroleum, Chemical and Rubber Workers’ Union, Turkey),
TUMTIS (All Transport Workers’ Union of Turkey),
Tekg?da-Is (Union of Tobacco, Beverage, Food and Related Industry Workers of Turkey),
Deriteks (Leather, Weaving and Textile Workers’ Union of Turkey),
Tezkoop-Is (Union of Commerce Education Office and Fine Arts Workers of Turkey), Belediye-Is (Municipal and General Workers’ Union of Turkey),
Kristal-Is (Cement, Glass & Soil Industries Workers’ Union of Turkey),
Bas?n-Is (Printing Publishing Packaging and Graphical Workers’ Union of Turkey),
TGS (Journalists Union of Turkey),
Codir (Committee for the Defence of Iranian People’s Rights)