Tehran Bus Srikers Violently Attacked; Hundreds Arrested

No Sweat:

The mass assemblies and picket lines of striking bus workers in all ten transport districts of Iran’s capital, Tehran, came under violent attack by the security forces [yesterday] morning.

Thousands of workers were beaten up and forced to drive the buses. Several hundred drivers and many activists and leaders of the union have been arrested, including the wives and children of four members of the union executive.

From the early hours of [yesterday] morning, a huge number of security forces were deployed at the bus depots throughout Tehran to stop the strike at any cost. However, displaying enormous courage, the drivers resisted the attacks, wherever they could, and went ahead with the strike. In solidarity with the strikers, many residents of Tehran have refused to board the buses. READ MORE

The union officials said the security forces employed indescribable brutality towards the workers. Arrests, harassment and raids on the homes of the activists are continuing. The Islamic regime is intent on breaking the strike and smashing the union. The union executive is deciding on the next course of action.

WPI appeals to all world labour organisations to support the bus workers by all possible means, including by sending strongly-worded protest letters to the Islamic regime and its embassies abroad, condemning the brutal attack on the workers and their families and demanding the immediate release of all those arrested and detained, including the head of the union, Mansoor Ossanlou, and six other members of the union executive.

Protest letters may be sent to the President of the Islamic Republic of Iran at dr-ahmadinejad@president.ir . Please forward copies of all your letters and messages to us for distribution to the workers and the public in Iran.

Please contact us on how to make urgently-needed contributions to the Bus Workers’ Strike Fund from where you are. In Sweden please make your donations to the following account and notify us at the same time:

Acct no: 400 11 845 429, Nordea Bank, Sweden

International Labour Solidarity Committee of the Worker-communist Party of Iran. Co-ordinator: Shahla Daneshfar (shahla_daneshfar@yahoo.com).

The International Brotherhood of Teamsters condemned the arrest of the Unions leaders, December 30th. We should write them asking them to help spread the news to the western media. Contact their press secretary, Galen Munroe or call at 202-624-6904 or 202-439-7427.