The International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC) has declared the status of workers and teachers in Iran as “red” in its latest annual report.
According to Kolbarnews, the ITUC’s annual report, published on Thursday, June 13, 2024, continues to rate the status of labor and trade union activities for Iranian workers and teachers as “red.” This indicates a complete lack of guaranteed rights for trade union and labor activities in the country. The report highlights severe crackdowns on teachers’ union activists in Iran, noting that 44 members of the Coordinating Council of Iranian Teachers’ Trade Associations are imprisoned solely for their union activities. The ITUC describes these actions as “arbitrary arrests.”
The report also mentions widespread violations of workers’ rights in Turkey, placing it alongside nine other countries, including Bangladesh, Belarus, Egypt, and Myanmar, on the list of the world’s worst countries for workers’ rights. It cites instances of suppression of civil liberties, dissolution of unions, false criminal charges against union activists, and threats of violence against workers in Turkey.
Amid the nationwide protests in Iran in 2022, the crackdown on teachers’ and workers’ unions and protests intensified. Many union activists were imprisoned during this year’s International Workers’ Day and Teachers’ Day.
The Coordinating Council of Iranian Teachers’ Trade Associations announced that it had not issued any statements regarding the participation or non-participation of teachers, students, and their parents in the 2023 presidential elections.
Separately, Amnesty International has called for the immediate and unconditional release of Reza Shahabi, an imprisoned worker. Shahabi, who was sentenced to imprisonment and exile for his union activities with the Syndicate of Workers of Tehran and Suburbs Bus Company, is reportedly being denied proper medical care, prompting Amnesty International to demand his immediate release.
