On the Necessity of the Organization and the Presence on the Street

by Reza Shahabi
Translated by Zhaleh Sahand

Nowadays, many articles have been dealing with the livelihood problems of the workers in the official newspapers, and sometimes they also interview some figures and retirees. The reflection of the intolerable situation of the working-class people in the official newspapers, which have a habit of denying or belittling the problems of the workers, is a sign of the advancement of the workers and the imposition of their voices on the governing measures and rulings. The unions and the labour activists have also helped to further these demands by participating in cyberspace and newspapers in various ways.

In these posts, the sharp and the growing gap between the income and expenses, as well as the shrinkage of the working-class people's table and the decrease in people's purchasing power to the point where the provision of their food supply has also been facing problems, has been discussed. In the following posts, it is mentioned that despite the slogans of the inflation control and economic growth, the government is practically unable to appropriately respond to the problems, and no attention is paid to the labour organizations and tripartism according to the conventions of the World Organization, and even wages are not increasing according to the existing legal procedure.

The truth is that these discussions are absolutely useless without addressing one of the most important roots of the problems, which is the severe suppression of all of the independent organizations. Is there any labour organization coming from within the working class without the interference of the government-employer, and in a democratic atmosphere, participating in the so-called process of tripartism that has now been "ignored"? In recent years, a handful of independent organizations, including the workers' union of Vahad Company, the Haft Tepe sugarcane workers' union, teachers' unions, independent organizations of retirees, Writers’ Association of Iran..., were established despite thousands of systematic obstacles and various types of repression, many of whose members were either imprisoned and expelled or are still in prison, prosecuted or permanently are under the supervision and control of the repressive security forces.

With the maximum support and the involvement of the workers and the toilers, and only if such those organizations expand and play their role, the government and the other small and large employers will be forced to protect our rights in general, including within the framework of the International Labour Organization conventions in various fields, including children, women, and workers' living conditions.

it is apparent that the so-called fake labour organizations such as the Islamic Labor Council, the Labour House, the Assembly of Representatives, etc., do not put pressure on the government, because the people who are the heads of these organizations, are the functionaries of the government, itself, and have never been elected in the democratic processes. But workers and the independent labour activists know that these fake representatives neither have the support of the workers nor can they win the trust of the workers.

If we want to save millions from unemployment and malnutrition, if we want to improve the conditions of all the working-class people, if we are pestered with the social anomalies such as crime and theft, home run aways, family murders, addiction, homelessness, and with the roots of all of them, meaning exploitation, unemployment, poverty, instability, job and livelihood insecurity, and all kinds of discriminations and double exploitation, we must announce with no fear that nothing will be given to the workers by the promises of the governments, authorities, and the fake workers' representatives.

We distrust all the currents within the power, and we know that the time for appeasement is over. The lives of our youths are perishing every day, and everything we have achieved so far has only been through the demonstration of the true power of the workers, the solidarity, and the unity of all the toilers and the oppressed people, as well as organizing and occupying the streets. Therefore, talking about the restoration of the wages and the improvement of the working conditions without emphasizing the need for the independent and nationwide organization of workers, and without trying to implement our fundamental rights, including assembly, protest, strike, and presence on the street, will be futile and even misleading as a conduit for the flow of the workers' demands.

Reza Shahabi
November 3, 2023
Evin Prison

The solution of the workers is the unity and the independent organizations from the employer, the government, and all the related security and intelligence institutions.

The Syndicate of Workers of Tehran and Suburbs Bus Company
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Source:
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