On 28 January, several hundred Tehran Bus Company workers and members of their families were arrested. Thousands of workers were beaten by the authorities and many hundreds forced to break the picket lines and drive the buses.
Security forces have been deployed at bus depots throughout Tehran to try to break the strike. 8 members of the Syndicate’s Executive Board were summoned to court on 26 January and have not returned, while the President Mansour Osanloo, remains in detention without access to a lawyer or to medical care. Arrests, harassment and raids on the homes of the unionists are continuing.
We, along with the international trade union movement, have been active in protesting against the violence, arrests and ongoing detention. Rallies are being held around the world in support of the rights of the workers to assemble, organise and strike. A number of unions in Australia are keen to take similar actions and the ACTU encourages your immediate support.
Please write to the Iranian President and send a copy to the Iranian Ambassador to Australia as soon as possible (the format of a letter can be found below in ‘Word’ with contact details provided).
Contact details for the Iranian ambassador are:
Dr.Hamid Aboutalebi
ambassador@iranembassy.org.au
Fax: 02 6290 2431
PO Box 705
Mawson ACT 2607
5 major transport unions in the Australian and New Zealand region have sent a joint letter of protest to the Iranian President; a copy of this letter can be viewed below.
For the latest ICFTU update on the arrests of the Teheran Bus Companies workers and their families please visit: http://www.icftu.org/
Further details of the International Day of Action, planned for 15 February 2006, will be placed on this site when available.
Download Letter To Iranian President, 2 February 2006
