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Labour rights victory as International Labour Organization demands legislation change in Iran
28 June 2007
Trade unions in Iran have won a key victory after the International Labour Organization (ILO) called on the Iranian government to amend its labour legislation in favour of trade union pluralism. The ILO was responding to a complaint by the ITF and the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC) regarding trade union rights abuses in Iran.
In the report of the ILO’s freedom of association committee, the ILO outlined a number of key recommendations in response to a complaint concerning repressive measures against the Tehran bus workers’ union, Sandikaye Kargarane Sherkate Vahed. The ITF and the ITUC, which made the complaint last July, provided details of the persistent persecution suffered by the members. These included attacks by security forces during the union’s founding meeting and the arrest and detention of a number of union activists, the union’s Mansour Osanloo among them; they also described charges brought against Osanloo.
The committee, which met at the beginning of this month, urged the Iranian government to carry out a number of tasks. These included amending its labour legislation “as a matter of urgency” to allow trade union pluralism at enterprise level and to “bring it into full conformity with the principles of freedom of association”. Other measures recommended included a full independent judicial inquiry into the attacks on union meetings, and information regarding Mansour Osanloo’s case and current circumstances.
ITF General Secretary, David Cockroft commented: “We welcome the ILO’s response and hope that this will make the Iranian government implement the principles of freedom of association in full. They are just as valid in the Islamic Repubic of Iran as they are anywhere else.”
Earlier this month, Osanloo, spoke about the union’s plight during a visit to the ITF’s UK head office and to its European arm, the European Transport Worker’s Federation in Belgium. He also addressed the ITUC’s general council meeting in the Belgian capital last week.
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