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Osanloo gets on the agenda at Amnesty conference
17 April 2008
 |  |  view larger image | | | Delegates at the Amnesty conference in Nottingham earlier this month | |
The plight of bus union leader Mansour Osanloo, who has been among those facing anti-union repression at the hands of the Iranian authorities, was highlighted at a recent Amnesty International conference in Nottingham, UK, earlier this month.
During Amnesty International UK’s trade union conference on 4 April, ITF Inland Transport Section Secretary Mac Urata spoke about the close working relationship between the ITF, the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC) and Amnesty International as they joined forces to campaign for Osanloo’s release; he has been imprisoned in Tehran for his trade union activities since July last year. The organisations’ collaborative approach was exemplified, Urata told delegates, in the global action day for solidarity with Iranian workers on 6 March. He also provided an update on the ITF’s current work in Iran and presented the film Freedom will come – the story of Mansour Osanloo.
Kate Allen, Amnesty International UK Director in her opening speech expressed support for better communication and joint working between trade unions and Amnesty International. Meanwhile, the late Janek Kuczkiewicz, ITUC Director of Human and Trade Union Rights - he died on 8 April - reiterated the need for continued collaboration between Amnesty and trade unions and outlined how more could be achieved by working together.
It was also announced that Shane Enright, formerly ITF Civil Aviation Section Secretary, is to become Global Trade Union Adviser for Amnesty’s international secretariat; he is currently Amnesty International UK’s Trade Union Campaign Manager.
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