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Education International, together with other Global Unions and a hundred trade unionists and human rights activists, demonstrated on 26 June in front of the Iranian Embassy in Brussels to demand justice for Iranian workers.

Speakers included representatives of the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC), EI, Amnesty International and the Belgian trade unions confederations CGSLB/ACLVB, CSC/ACV and FGTB/ABVV.

They all underlined the urgent need to continue the fight for Iranian workers’ fundamental freedoms at work – the right to organise, to hold trade union meetings and to bargain collectively. And to use guaranteed human and trade union rights as a foundation for building a democratic society.

EI Deputy General Secretary Jan Eastman regretted that the sole Iranian government’ response to all attempts by EI to engage in a dialogue “so far has been repression and arrests – followed by more repression and more arrests.”

“EI wants to support and represent Iranian teachers, who are seeking to join the 30 million in the EI family, as a fully fledged trade union member,” she said.

She emphasised that:

• Now is the time for trade union rights, in law and practice;
• Now is the time for the Government of Iran to: drop all charges against unionists relating to trade union protest action; annul their sentences; and compensate them for damages suffered as a result of these charges and convictions; and
• Now is the time to stay the execution of Iranian teacher unionist Farzad Kamangar’s death sentence, annul his conviction and secure his release from detention.

Eastman, in the name of the 30 million teachers represented by EI, also urged the Iranian authorities to:

• Release Sajad Khaksari, son of Mohamad Khaksari of the Iranian Teachers’ Trade Association; and
• Release Hashem Khastar, Jafar Ebrahimi, Alireza Hashemi, and many professors as yet unamed - all arrested since June 11.

“So far, we haven’t received any answer to our letters to the Iranian government,” said Jaap Wienen, ITUC Deputy General Secretary, before putting an letter addressed to the Iranian government from the International trade union movement in the Embassy’ mailbox, accompanied by Eastman and other trade union leaders. “We represent 200 million workers around the world. It is important we show solidarity. I hope we will not have to meet again here next year. But if necessary, we will!”

“EI demands that the Government of Iran stop arresting teachers – and instead, support them to do their job of educating the next generation for peaceful co-existence in a democratic and sustainable world, one in which all people have respect, dignity and hope for a decent life,” said Eastman.

Clearly these global and national trade unions will be back again next year if there is no change from the Government of Iran. They will continue to defend workers rights’ to freedom of assembly, of association and expression, in Iran and elsewhere.