Call For Support For Jailed Iranian Trade Unionists

Six Iranian trade unionists representing sugar workers at the Haft Tapeh company have been jailed for their trade union activities.

Worldwide food workers’ union the IUF say “the regime is clearly determined to crush the union by putting its entire leadership behind bars.”

The TUC is urging British trade unionists to join the worldwide union protest about the jailing of sugar workers’ union leaders in Iran last month. TUC General Secretary Brendan Barber has written to the Iranian Ambassador in London to protest.

Ghorban Alipour, Feridoun Nikoufard, Jalil Ahmadi, Nejat Dehli and Ali Nejati were all sentenced to 6 months’ immediate imprisonment and 6 months suspended sentences over 5 years; during which time they are barred from union activity.

Mohammad Heydari Mehr received a 4 month term, 8 months suspended. Ali Nejati must serve his suspended sentence as prison time, meaning he faces an immediate one-year prison term. Should he lose his appeal on the 2008 conviction, his sentence could stretch to over 2 years.

Please do what you can to protest and encourage others to do the same. We owe it to our fellow trade unionists in Iran – and remember: building stronger unions anywhere builds stronger unions everywhere.

Sign the petition at http://www.iuf.org/cgi-bin/campaigns/show_campaign.cgi?c=449