A Letter to the Fraternal Parties and Organisations
Dear Comrades, The capitalist regime of the Islamic Republic has intensified its efforts to lay off workers, to delay the payment of wages, and to shut down factories. The Islamic Republic is implementing this policy in order to satisfy the World Band and the International Monetary Fund. As we discussed in the Resolution adopted by the Conference of the Marxist-Leninist Parties and Organisations in Mexico City in September 2001, this destructive and anti-worker policy of the Islamic Republic is creating a miserable economic condition for the labourers of Iran. In continuation of this neo-liberal policy, the Behshahr Cheet (chintz) factory with 1800 workers has intermittently shut down during the past two years and its workers have not been paid for 27 months! The workers of Behshar Cheet have protested their deplorable conditions many times and have demonstrated in front of several official institutions of the Islamic Republic. But the capitalist Islamic regime has a deaf ear for the just demands of the working people of Iran. The textile workers of Behshahr Cheet are protesting daily against the capitalist exploiters and against the Islamic authorities with more confidence and determination. Since their demands are not met, the workers of Behshahr Cheet have gone on hunger strike since May 14. According to the reports, several striking workers have become weak and the life of some of them is in danger. The anti-worker regime of the Islamic Republic has closed its eyes on even the basic measures of sending ambulances and medical teams to the striking workers. The authorities have practically taken steps to physically destroy the protesting workers.
Dear Comrades, This struggle has brought a wave of domestic and international support and solidarity for the just demands of valiant workers of Behshahr Cheet. Our Party strongly supports the demands of the workers of Behshahr Cheet and will do whatever it can to put pressure on the Iranian authorities to meet the demands of the striking workers. Our Party is calling upon the fraternal Parties and Organisations in every corner of the globe to express their support for the striking workers in Beshahr of Iran. We request our Comrades to send protest letters to the embassies of the Islamic Republic, to the Islamic authorities in Iran directly, and to the international labour organisations. We ask the comrades to demand the immediate payment of 27-month delayed wages of the striking workers and to denounce the suppressive and anti-human actions of the authorities in Iran.
With Communist Salute! The Foreign Office of the Party of Labour of Iran (Toufan) July 6, 2003
Toufan at toufan.org Plitouf at hotmail.com Fax: 069/96580346 (Germany)
-- Michael Pugliese