No 50 [email protected] (*) 1st Nov.

2017

To: Doctors without boarders

Greetings to you:
To you Doctors without Frontiers, who have accepted great humane responsibility for saving
lives worldwide.
Hey people, someone is dying (Part of a poem by famous
Iranian poet Nimayusij)
Reza Shahabi is an Iranian worker, active unionist and a member
of the board of directors of the Syndicate of Workers of The Tehran
Bus Company (known as Sherkat e wahed). He was arrested and
imprisoned in 2010 and has spent more than five years in the
dungeons of The Islamic Republic of Iran, including 19 months in
solitary confinement. He has suffered various diseases and several
operations on his neck and back, due to the torture he received
whilst serving and finishing his prison term, but he has been re-
arrested again, since 9th of August, 2017.
In protest for his latest arrest, he went on a hunger strike for 50
days. His hunger strike has led to serious health problems. With the, Reza Shahabi

In this Issus:
- To: Doctors without boarders P. 1 - What have we done in the P.3
- A message from Reza Shahabi P. 3 - Reza Shehabi must be released, P.4
- Kian Tire Factory workers ... P. 5 - New rounds of rallies and P.6
- Strike and assembly of workers in P. 6- The arrest of Mahmoud Salehi P.7

(*) -About us: The Committee in Solidarity with the Iranian Labor Movement - Abroad" consis
of solidarity groups and individuals outside of Iran that support Iranian Workers' struggle for:
(1) Democratic rights and economic justice ;(2) Exposing anti- labor policies of the Islamic
Republic of Iran ;(3) Building bridges between the Iranian and international workers'
movements.

Please note our new email address:

[email protected]
Alternative Workers News-Iran No. 49 - P. 2

promises of the regimes authorities, who claimed that they would

respond to his demands temporarily, he ended his hunger strike.

It is quite clear, that the Islamic Regimes authorities are wasting time,
in order to prolong the exacerbation of his bodys complicated
condition, as they did to Shahrokh Zamani, and Mohammad
Jarahi, Afshin Osanlo, who were murdered in, or out of prison.
Of course, it is necessary to mention that Reza Shahabi is not the only
political prisoner who has such a serious condition. There are about 20 Shahrokh Zamani
political prisoners in the same Gohardasht prison, who are on a hunger
strike. There are also many political prisoners in Iran, who are in need
of treatment and therapy, a problem that authorities with disruptive
intentions will put more pressure on political prisoners. Mohammad
Nazari is another political prisoner, who is on his 76th day of a hunger
strike, and his physical condition is very serious. Saeed Shirzad, a
child advocate, is still on a hunger strike and he is in a critical
condition. Mohammad Jarahi

We are urging you to act as soon as possible, according to your

responsibility to save the lives of these Iranian political prisoners, and
act immediately for the hospitalization of Reza Shahabi. We are plead
ing with you, if necessary, with the help of United Nations, to obtain
the permission for the dispatching of an expert medical team to Iran,
in any possible way, and to provide treatment for all political
prisoners in Iran, including Reza Shahabi, who has severe stomach
pain, and heart burn, as well as high blood pressure and nose bleeding, Afshin Osanlo
and his body and face are swollen. Also due to two major operations
on his spine and neck, in his previous jail term, part of his body and
feet are numb and other parts of his body are severely painful.

We are ready to contribute for the financing, by promoting campaigns

if necessary.
We are thanking you in advance for your humanitarian support, to
save the lives of Iranian political prisoners, as well as Reza Shahabi. Mohammad Nazari

For further information, you could contact us by our email:

Solidarity committees with Iranian workers movement abroad

[email protected]
18.10.2017
Copy to: Amnesty international Saeed Shirzad
Alternative Workers News-Iran No. 49 - P. 3

What have we done in the last fifty issues?

[email protected] 15. Oct. 2015 No. 1

What has been our understanding of our work, we ask of ourselves as now we move past the halfway
mark closer to our centennial issue. Are our readers happy? Are we satisfied so far with our results?
Is there still room for improvement? Our goal at the beginning was to find a platform where we could
become the voice of the working-class movement and the grassroots activists of Iran and have their
voice reach the ears of our sisters around the world.
Never before such an undertaking was organized from volunteers all around the world as south as
Australia to North America, from Europe to southwest Asia.
As the workers movement in Iran has grown steadily in the last few years, the Iranian Government
has more and more used a policy of anti-labour, incarcerating more and more labour activists and
whilst this continues our task to shout becomes more vital more now than ever.
To do so, we need help from our readers. We can't do it alone. We need help from our community, as
we appreciate all our supporters, right now we need our fluently bilingual with Farsi being one of the
languages to help carry the voices of our brothers.
You are the ones we need to give us a hand to connect better to our readers.
So let us all together build now a better organization in order to continue and serve better, Let a few
younger helping hand come forwards and make it a year.
Support to hard working people of Iran and in particular the political prisoners who are fighting for
their live under dictatorial Islamic Republic.

A message from Reza Shahabi

With the warmest greetings,

I am grateful to all the workers, members of the syndicate,
students, socialactivists and families and freedom lovers
who have protested to Iranian Authorities for imprisonment
of me and other labor activists. I am also very grateful to all
international labor organizations from all over the world
who have sent letters of protest to government officials
calling for the unconditional release of all prisoners. The
harassment of my family started in 2010, when plainclothes
agents arrested me whilst I was driving the public Bus. In
the presence of passengers, they arrested me on the fake
charges of robbery. I spent 19 months in solitary
confinement at Detention Center No. 209 in Evin Prison.
Alternative Workers News-Iran No. 49 - P. 4

During all months I was subject to long interrogations , severe physical, mental and psychological
confrontations, and several times threatened with execution. Over the years, I have been through
many surgecal operations and I've often been forced to go on hungar strike in order to to be
heard.out side of prsion.
For what? Why should a worker suffers so much just for defending basic rights .They thought that
with these repressive actions and supressions, they could intimidate the Syndicate of Workers of the
Tehran Bus Company and the suburbs and other independent labor organizations. But this never
happened and will not be happening. As long as workers are oppressed and cruelly exploited, they
undermine the workers' right and, at the same time, protect the financiers, the embezzlers and the
looters of the public property; they will form a protest and strike. My situation is still unclear, and
despite the promises made by the authorities to end this situation, I am still being held in
imprisonment without medical attention. My respectful inmates, my beloved family, my great wife,
my co-workers of the Syndicate (Wahed), as well as the labor advocates and human rights defenders
in Iran and in the international level, are the only guarantor of my release and other inmate political
prisoners.
Reza Shahabi
Rajaee Shahr-Karaj Prison
18/10/2017

Reza Shahabi must be released, unconditionally

Dear workers:

As you are informed, Reza Shahabi is still in prison. He was sentenced to 968 days, based on sham
charges, plotted by judicial and security officials. Reza Shehabi began hunger strike after his unjust
arrest and he only ended it, when the judiciary officials undertook his case again; and labor/social
activists and organizations, inside and outside of the country asked him to give the new development
a chance. Shahabi was supposed to be treated in hospital and released, once he ended his hunger
strike. According to his activist wife, robabe Rezaee, on Tuesday Oct.10th, there was a decision to
transfer Reza to hospital. But, officials wanted to take him in shackles. Reza protested against such
inhumane treatment and subsequently he was not taken to hospital.

Each prisoner has the right to be medically treated, without shackles. Unfortunately, the judicial and
security officials have not followed the pertaining rules and therefore Rezas health is in jeopardy.
According to the latest news by the Syndicate of Tehran Bus Company of workers and the
Committee in Defense of Reza Shahabi (statement #101), Reza Shahabis health is deterioting: On
Wednesday, Oct. 18th, his family met Reza and reported that he has new health problems such as
skin disease and pimples all over his body in addition to his previous difficulty of strong pain on his
neck and shoulder, heartburn and nose bleeding.

Dear workers:

Reza Shahabi as militant worker, representative of Tehran Bus Company of workers and member of
its board of management who is sentenced to prison only because of his efforts to defend the basic
democratic demands by workers and his participation in protests against conditions of poverty,
unemployment, corruption and addiction. He has been active in campaigns to demand the right to
Alternative Workers News-Iran No. 49 - P. 5

freedom of speech, thought and organization and struggle against capitalist exploitations. To support
Reza on his struggle is to defend his legitimate demands of humanity. We are still mournin labor
activists, Sharokh Zamanis and Muhamad Jarrahis death. But it seems that the owners of wealth and
power have decided to kill the labor activists and their representative!!!

Dear comrades:

Reza Shahabis condition is worsening every day. This is a

warning for all of us that we must not remain silent in
regard to suppression of our democratic rights. Only
organized and united forces of workers and free thinkers
among people can help us to fight effectively against
unjust an unequal social conditions. We, workers and
members of Syndicate of Haft Tapeh SugarCane
Syndicate condemn the imprisonment of Reza Shahabi
and demand his immediate and unconditional release.

Worker prisoners and all political prisoners must be released!

Long Live class based, workers unity and solidarity!

Syndicate of Haft Tapeh Sugar Cane workers

October 19, 2017

Kian Tire Factory workers protest rally

against lack of job security and payment of their claims
On Tuesdays and Thursdays this week (25th and 26th of Mehr), (October 17th and 18th),
workers at Kian Tire Factory gathered at their workplace in protest to the lack of supplies of
materials and reduced production levels and not being paid for two month overtime and other
claims. After the workers protest, Kian Tire Factory managements decided to close the firm
until Sunday.
The Kian Tire Factory is being run by the
Industrialists' Advisory Board through the
Islamic Consultative Assembly.
They came to determine their payments, but
their main concern was the reduction of
production levels and its impact on their job
security, Kian Tire's Factory has three shift
workers in total of 1100 workers, which on the
previous day and the day before, a large
number of them gathered in the factory
premises. Kian Tire's Factory is run by the Industrial Support Board due to numerous problems that
have occurred over the past years.
About this matter, the factory chief said the workers at Kian Tire Factory are worried about their job
security, because there is no support coming from any organizations for this Factory to continue its
operations. On the other hand, the wages and other workers' claims, such as overtime, has not been
paid, which has led to the reduction of 30% of their wages.
Alternative Workers News-Iran No. 49 - P. 6

The chairman of the Kian Tire Factory said that about 100 Kian Tire Factory workers are on the
verge of retirement, saying that because of the fact that we could not pay 4% of the employer's share
for their retirement, using the hard and harmful occupational law, they disrupted their retirement
career and this should be added to the above problems.
"Workers are worried, and this should be addressed," he said, referring to the past rally of tire factory
workers and former gatherings.

New rounds of rallies and gathering of workers of

Tabriz Combine Harvesting Plant
Protesting for none paid wages of two month and Health insurance for the second consecutive day.
Today (October 18th), for the third day in a row, the workers of Tabriz Combine Harvesting Plant
(Azerbaijani Development and Industry) in the protest against the non-payment of months of wages
and insurance rights, they have ceased working and gathered in the area of this
Industrial unit. The number of protest workers is close to 40, and they have faced wage arrears over
the past twenty months.
It is also said, that there have been some delays in
paying for the workers insurance premiums, which
has caused some difficulties renewing their family
insurance booklets.
According to protest workers, the company involved
in the development of the Azerbaijan industry, in
the field of agricultural machinery combine
harvesting, panel sandwiches and various types of
lockers. Six years ago, had about 500 workers
employed, which as factory financial problems have
increased, now dropped to around 44.
Director General of Co-operative work and social welfare of East Azarbaijan, with the approval of
the protest workers' association of the company of The development of the Azerbaijan' industry said
that the reason for the remaining problems of this industrial unit, is firsly, the lack of the employer'
attendance at the crisis committee meetings, and secondly, when he comes to meetings, he does not
commit to the decisions made at the meeting. !!!

Strike and assembly of workers

in phases 22 and 24 of South Pars,

Protest against non-payment of wages for several months

This morning, on Wednesday, October 18th, a group of 22 and

24-phase workers from South Pars located in the Tambak
district of Kangan county stopped working in protest to the
non-payment of several months wages. The workers of
Tavamand Co. as one of the contractors of Phases 22 and 24 of
Pars 2, have not received any wages since August this year.
Alternative Workers News-Iran No. 49 - P. 7

The gathered workers declared that the delay in

paying their wages, has made their livelihoods
unbearable: delay in payment of wages, has become
normal for the contractors in 22 and 24 phases .

With the presence of the employer in gathered

workers, and with promise of paying their wages
until next week, this protesting action ended. The
Kangans governor about this situation siad too: the
managemts incompetency of some of the
contracting companies in 22 and 24 phases has
force workers to the protest for acheiving their
rights.

He added: that, there are about 21 thousand people employed in Pars 2, of which about 6,000 are
related to phases 22 and 24. And more than 19 contracting companies are working in Pars 2. The
Kangans governor added: that last week, the workers in the above mentioned phases gathered in
protest for their delayed wage payments as well.

Last News :

The arrest of Mahmoud Salehi and other labor activists is

strongly condemned!

At 12 noon on Saturday 28th Okt., while Mahmoud

Salehi, a member of the Iranian Labor Movement
activist, returned from the hospital after kidney
dialysis, whilst not having a healthy physical condition,
he was arrested by a number of security forces and sent
to the central prison of Saghez.
Physically, Mahmoud Salehi is in a bad condition and
his health in prison is in grave danger. Such inhumane
encounters by the repressive forces of the Islamic
Republic's capital system, continues to pressurize the
activists of the labor movement and prosecute them,
and the regime, with these tricks, is trying to eliminate
labor activists from struggling to achieve their rights.

Mahmoud Salehi needs constant medical treatment and his health is in grave danger; any incident and
adverse consequences will endanger his life; and the Islamic Republic will be responsible directly.

The solidarity committee with the Iranian workers movement abroad, strongly condemn the arrest
of Mahmoud Salehi and calls for his immediate and unconditional release. Supporting labor activists,
helping them to maintain their health and trying to save them from jail, is the task of the activists of
the workers' movement, the supporters of this movement and all freedom fighters. With struggle and
public protest nationwide will try to save the life of Mahmoud Salehi and Reza Shahabi from the grip
of the Islamic Republic of Iran.

Mahmoud Salehi, Reza Shahabi and other workers activist must be released now!