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London picket
A number of IWSN activists took part in the picket called initially by the ITUC (International Trade Union Confederation), EI (Education International), ITF (International Transport Workers’ Federation), IUF (International Union of Food, Agricultural, Hotel, Restaurant, Catering, Tobacco and Allied Workers' Associations), four global union organisations representing over 170 million workers, is part of an ongoing campaign that will eventually help Iranian workers win their full trade union and human rights.
Over 150 British trade unionists, labour activists and socialists, and their Iranian counterparts, picketed the Iranian embassy for over an hour. In addition to chanting slogans in support of the May Day detainees, labour activists and all those struggling against the regime. Representatives from various groups and committees delivered brief speeches about the situation of the working class and the repression of the post-election movement in Iran (the IWSN speech was based on our leaflet).
Representatives from the Trades Union Congress, the ITF and Amnesty International tried to hand over 16,000 cards signed by trade unionists and other people supporting the workers' struggle to set up trade unions and defend their jobs, pay and conditions, to the embassy. Rattled by the response to its trampling on basic human rights in Iran the embassy refused to accept the cards or even allow them to be left on the steps outside!
We hope that similar days of action are organised in the near future to unite all forces who defend the workers' struggle in Iran.
Free all jailed workers now!
The right to strike is an absolute right!
Iranian Workers’ Solidarity Network
26 June 2009
TUC video of the picket.
