Iran: Thousands of hungry workers go on strike

international | worker & community struggles and protests | other press

Monday October 15, 2007 10:48

by Georgi Chicherin

In the story below Hamid Tehrani gives an update on the situation of the sugar cane workers on strike in Shoush in Iran. Full text at the link at the end of this article.

Thousands of unpaid Haft Tapeh sugar cane factory workers in Shoush in the Khuzestan province in Iran started a strike last week. Government sent security forces to repress the workers but strike continues. Several bloggers covered this event, and other related stories of difficult conditions of labor activists. Kaargar (means worker) says[Fa] that thousands of Haft Tapeh sugar cane factory in Khouzestan province started strike on Saturday 27th October. The blog adds that one of the upaid workers' slogan was “Haftapeh workers are hungry”. The blogger adds the number of workers was around 3000 and they wanted to demonstrate in front of governor's office but police stopped them.

Striking Workers In Shoush.

On the fourth day of striking and demonstrating, some other workers from Dezfoul sugar can factory who had lost their jobs, joined the Haft Tapeh workers. The workers chanted, ‘our salary is our absolute right' (the Iranian government's slogan is ‘nuclear energy is our absolute right').

Kaargar adds [Fa] that security forces attacked several workers and injured 10 of them. A worker activist, Ferydoun Nikofard, was arrested at his home.

Other reports:

Haft Tapeh Sugar Cane workers in southern Iran go on strike

Workers at the state-owned Haft Tapeh Sugar Cane Plantation and Industry Company have gone on strike demanding payment of several months' unpaid wages. They have gathered in front of the Governor's Office in Shush city, in Khuzestan province (southern Iran), and say that they will stay on strike until their demands are met.

The workers say that due to the Iranian government's wrong policies they have had to endure many problems and have been forced to go on strike 16 times over the past two years. One of the workers' main problems has been the delay in getting their wages paid.
http://www.iwsn.org/labour/haft-tapeh-strike-051007.htm

Iran: "Haft Tapeh workers are starving", Ahwazi workers' slogan

Three thousand workers from the Haft Tapeh (Saba atlal) Sugar Cane Company held demonstrations outside the Khuzestan provincial governor's office in Shoush city (Susa) on Saturday demanding their wages.A worker believes that the currently the company management policy is "exhausting labours and encouraging them to leave the company in order to possess their lands."

The workers intend to continue their peaceful demonstrations outside the governor's office.
http://www.ahwaz.org.uk/2007/10/iran-haft-tapeh-workers....html