We demand the immediate and unconditional release of Parviz Salarvand and Sadegh Amiri
According to information published by the Committee in Pursuit of Free Labour Organisations in Iran, on 5 May, just four days after the successful May Day celebrations, Sadegh Amiri, a labour activist and a Committee in Pursuit of Free Labour Organisations in Iran campaigner, was arrested by three Information Ministry officers. So far there is no information about his fate.
Also Parviz Salarvand, a worker at the Iran Khodro car plant, was abducted by 'Factory Protection', a special anti-labour unit of the secret police, on 1 April and is languishing in jail. This spying association of the capitalist government within the factories abducted Parviz Salarvand and interrogated him in the factory basement and then transferred him to an unspecified place. His family have still not been given the slightest information about his fate. After 25 days silence, and following protests by workers, the 'Factory Protection' unit admitted to abducting Parviz. The charge brought against Parviz Salarvand was that he had protested against unpaid New Year and other bonuses (which the workers look on as part of their wages). He had also protested against the low wages of contract workers.
The Workers' Action Committee condemns these abductions and demands the immediate and unconditional release of these two workers. The capitalist government knows full well that the Iranian workers have entered the arena of open struggle against capitalist extortion and intends to intimidate the whole working class by such arrests.
The Workers' Action Committee will publicise news of the abductions internationally and will launch a campaign in the defence of the arrested. We ask all progressive individuals and forces to protest against this brutal action against the workers of Iran .
9 May 2005
Workers' Action Committee (Iran)
Translated by: Iranian Workers' Solidarity Network (IWSN)
Iranian Workers' Solidarity Network (IWSN) asks that you react quickly to this new development which has been calculated to thwart the workers' gains during the past year. It is absolutely crucial that the international labour movement strongly condemns this assault so that the regime, and its 'labour organisations' like the Labour House, are not emboldened to carry out further attacks on the blossoming independent labour movement.
Please send your protest letters, faxes or emails to:
Mr. Seyyed Mohammad Khatami
President
The Presidency
Palestine Avenue , Azerbaijan Intersection
Tehran
Islamic Republic of Iran
Fax: 98-21-648.06.65
Email: khatami@president.ir
Please send copies of your protest to:
Iranian Workers' Solidarity Network
BM IWSN
London WC1N 3XX.
England
E-mail: iranwsn@yahoo.co.uk
The International Confederation of Free Trade Unions (ICFTU)
5 Boulevard du Roi Albert II, Bte 1
1210 Brussels
Belgium
Fax: +32 (0)2 201 5815
E-mail: turights@icftu.org
International Labour Organization (ILO)
International Labour Office
4, route des Morillons
CH-1211 Geneva 22
Switzerland
Email: ilo@ilo.org