London picket
A
number of IWSN activists took part in the picket called initially by
the ITUC (International Trade Union Confederation), EI (Education
International), ITF (International Transport Workers’ Federation), IUF
(International Union of Food, Agricultural, Hotel, Restaurant,
Catering, Tobacco and Allied Workers’ Associations), four global union
organisations representing over 170 million workers, is part of an
ongoing campaign that will eventually help Iranian workers win their
full trade union and human rights.
Over
150 British trade unionists, labour activists and socialists, and their
Iranian counterparts, picketed the Iranian embassy for over an hour. In
addition to chanting slogans in support of the May Day detainees,
labour activists and all those struggling against the regime.
Representatives from various groups and committees delivered brief
speeches about the situation of the working class and the repression of
the post-election movement in Iran (the IWSN speech was based on our leaflet).
Representatives
from the Trades Union Congress, the ITF and Amnesty International tried
to hand over 16,000 cards signed by trade unionists and other people
supporting the workers’ struggle to set up trade unions and defend
their jobs, pay and conditions, to the embassy. Rattled by the response
to its trampling on basic human rights in Iran the embassy refused to
accept the cards or even allow them to be left on the steps outside!
We
hope that similar days of action are organised in the near future to
unite all forces who defend the workers’ struggle in Iran.
Free all jailed workers now!
The right to strike is an absolute right!
Iranian Workers’ Solidarity Network
26 June 2009
TUC video of the picket.
Click here to go to the IWSN website
Click here to hear Jorge Martin speaking on Iran
Click here to watch Alan Woods speaking on Iran
