Mr Jaun Somavia
Director- General
International Labour Organization
4 Route Des Morillons
CH – 1211 Geneva
Switzerland
Dear Director General
We are writing to you to draw the attention your organization to the problem of trade-unions in Iran. As you are well aware, discussions are taking place currently between the ILO and the “representatives” of the Islamic government of Iran’s official trade unions (Khane-ye kargar, “workers’ house”, shoraha-ye eslami-ye kar,”Islamic labour councils”). These two entities Attached to the government, are, in fact, against workers’ interests, and as pointed out in Mr.K.Tapiola’s report, these organizations are not independent workers, trade-unions.
Workers themselves have claimed in several occasions, and as recently as at this year’ 1st of May demonstrations in Tehran, their will to be represented by real independent and free trade-unions.
Those “representatives” from “workers’ house” and ”Islamic labour councils” (including Mr Salimian, Jabbar Ali, Mr Sadeghi, hassanand Mr Ahmadi-panjaki,Parviz) not only were never elected in a democratic process, but they have taken part in the repression of the independent labour organizations, the latest example of which was the organized attack and destruction on 9th of May 2005, of the independent bus drivers, syndicate’s bureau in Tehran.
For these reasons, we believe that those so-called “representatives” have no legitimacy to engaged any discussion with your organization on the part of Iranian workers. Therefore, the current discussions will not , in any way, help the creation of independent and democratic trade –unions in Iran, and worse, they may put more obstacles on the way of workers to realize their right to free and independent organizations.
We have just learned that, the latest conference of your organization has omitted the Islamic Republic of Iran from the list of country violating workers’ rights, while the most fundamental of these rights, such as the ones established by the 87th and 98th conventions of the ILO, are indeed violated every day in Iran.
We protest such an unfortunate resolution and the ongoing discussion with so-called “representatives” of Iranian workers, and ask your organization not to attribute any legitimacy to such “representatives”
Yours sincerity,
Democratic Party of Iranian Kurdistan
Komala Party- Iranian Kurdistan
Organisation of Iranian People´s Fedaian (Majority)
Union of People's Fedaian of Iran
13/06/2005