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ITF responds to Iranian “new year greeting”
3 February 2009
The ITF has suggested that the Iranian regime could improve relations with the international community, if it were to end, once and for all, its harassment of Iranian trade union leaders.
The ITF made the statement in response to a “new year greeting” sent by Hossein Nouri, Director of Iran’s International Relations and Employment Department to the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC) and copied to the ITF and other parties. In the letter, Nouri refers to current events in Gaza and to the union movement’s campaign against worker violations in the republic. He acknowledged that the Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs receives regular condemnations from supporters of the union campaign.
In response, ITF General Secretary David Cockroft highlighted the ITF’s humanitarian efforts in Gaza, and outlined hopes for a long-term peace in Palestine. He said: “However, normal relations with Iran would be considerably improved if your government were to cease harassment of the leaders of democratic unions in Iran who are elected by Iranian workers.” He added that the ITF would continue to press for the immediate release of bus workers’ union leader Mansour Osanloo and other trade unionists, imprisoned for exercising their rights to freedom of association.
The ITF has chartered two planeloads of humanitarian relief to Gaza in conjunction with the ITUC; the ITF and the ITUC are joining forces with other global union federations to send further supplies by road.
ITF Inland Transport Section Secretary Mac Urata attended the congress of the ITF-affiliated FNV Bondgenoten in the Netherlands on 30 January to celebrate, on their behalf, the success of Osanloo and his union in winning the Febe Velasquez trade union rights award. The national centre FNV Mondiaal award had been announced in March last year. The prize is given to trade union rights campaigners who face personal risk. Bongenoten is also backing the Free Osanloo campaign. Urata stressed that all imprisoned trade unionists must be freed unconditionally.
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