Khomeini and the clergy completely outmanoeuvred the left. But it need not have been that way. In his second and concluding article on the role of oil workers in the 1979 revolution, Peyman Jafari stresses the complex nature of ideology and class consciousness On January 12 1979, two weeks after the Oil Strikes Coordinating Committee… Continue reading Centrality of class independence
Tag: strikes
The Imam, the strikers and the black, black oil
There are rich lessons for today in the experiences of the oil strikes of 1978. In the first of two articles Peyman Jafari charts the incredibly difficult struggle for organisation, hegemony and strategy “We are melting away,” lamented the shah, Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, on December 26 1978 in a phone tap of a conversation with… Continue reading The Imam, the strikers and the black, black oil
170 signatures in support of striking oil workers
Rahe Kargar, or ‘Left Unity’ in Farsi, have published a list of those who have added their signatures to the latest statement by striking oil workers. View the PDF below (mostly in Farsi).
Solidarity messages to Iranian oil workers
Oil and gas workers in Iran on one-day and other short-term contracts have gone on strike. They are demanding the reinstatement of sacked colleagues, full-time employment, better pay, more time off to see their families, improved living conditions and an end to the special economic zones and the system of subcontracting. The strike was initiated… Continue reading Solidarity messages to Iranian oil workers
Mass strikes by oil workers in Iran
Contract workers in Iranian oil and gas projects and petrochemical plants have gone on strike in Iran demanding better wages, an end to systematic non-payment of wages, better living conditions and an end to the dominance of unscrupulous contractors. The strike was initiated by workers employed by subcontracting companies, who impose short-term contracts on workers… Continue reading Mass strikes by oil workers in Iran
The strike continues until our demands are met
Second statement of the Council for Organising Protests by Oil Contract Workers – Iran We, the contract oil workers in refineries, petrochemical and power plants, went on strike on June 20, as we had announced. Tens of thousands of our colleagues are currently on strike, and our colleagues who are permanent employees in the oil… Continue reading The strike continues until our demands are met
Iran Workers Bulletin
Supporters of Hands of the People of Iran have produced a bulletin on working class struggle in Iran for trade unionists and anti-war activists. We will be giving out hundreds of copies at demonstrations, meetings and conferences over the coming months, starting with the PCS Conference beginning on May 18. If you would like copies… Continue reading Iran Workers Bulletin
Strike erupts at Sanandaj’s Javeh Dam again
Workers from Sanandaj’s Javeh dam have once again gone on strike as of July 10, 2010. Workers of the dam have gone on strike several times in recent months over non payment of their wages dating back more than five months. More than 300 workers building the dam have not received their wages for this… Continue reading Strike erupts at Sanandaj’s Javeh Dam again
Theocracy threatens bloodbath as mass movement grows
Iranian workers are on the offensive, reports Chris Strafford 2010 has begun the way 2009 ended in the Islamic Republic of Iran, with millions protesting in cities and towns across the country. But the dangers facing the Iranian people have undoubtedly increased over the last few weeks. Further sanctions are being put in place, and… Continue reading Theocracy threatens bloodbath as mass movement grows
Threats over uranium enrichment aid regime
Ahmadinejad uses the ‘enemy without’ to justify increased repression, arrests and the torture of the ‘enemy within’, writes Yassamine Mather The dramatic statements by Obama, Brown and Sarkozy about Iran’s undisclosed nuclear enrichment plant, made in a ‘breaking news’-style press conference on the first day of the G20 gathering in Pittsburgh, were clearly intended to… Continue reading Threats over uranium enrichment aid regime