5 March 2008. For immediate release
ITF puts spotlight on Iranian ships in defence of jailed union leader
The
ITF has begun visiting Iranian government owned ships as part of a campaign to
free an unjustly imprisoned trade union leader that will be promoted in a
worldwide day of action tomorrow.
A
mass of protests are taking place in 41 countries on 6 March in support of Mansour Osanloo, 48, the elected leader of the Syndicate of
Workers of Tehran and Suburbs Bus Company, a trade union founded three years
ago. Even though the organisation is free, democratic
and legal it has been violently attacked by Iranian security forces. As a
result of his work Osanloo has been beaten, arrested
and had his tongue sliced as a warning against speaking out. He is now being
held in Evin Prison in
The
ITF has led the campaign to support and free Osanloo
and the ship visits are the latest way it is using to communicate its message
to the Iranian Government. It is targeting only ships owned by that government,
talking to the masters and crew about Osanloo and
asking them to deliver letters about the case to their employer. This
supplements the high level approaches made by the ITF and ITUC (International
Trade Union Confederation) to the President of Iran, to its officials and to
its ambassadors and consuls worldwide. So far six ships have been boarded (Iran
Mazandaran, Iran Takhti,
Iran Zanjan [twice], Iran Ashrafi,
Ocean Frontier, Iran Madani), with more visits coming
up tomorrow and in following days in ports in Australia,
Belgium, Estonia, France, Great Britain, India, Korea and Taiwan.
ITF
General Secretary David Cockroft explained: “For
three years we’ve fought to defend Mansour Osanloo and his colleagues from brutal and sustained
attacks that have culminated with his imprisonment on trumped up charges of
endangering national security. We’ve opened up many channels of communication
with those who have victimised him and successfully taken his case to the
International Labour Organisation, European Union and other governments.
Tomorrow we once again target Iranian embassies across the world. These ship
visits are one more tactic in a raft of protests intended to make the Iranian
government see sense and stop punishing this man for merely asking for his
rights.”
The following is a report from an ITF inspector of a typical visit. The ship name is withheld so as not to create problems for any crew members but the text is otherwise as received:
“We
boarded the vessel today in the afternoon. We were welcomed by the watchman which we promptly decorated with an Osanloo
badge. On our way to the master we “decorated” the
hall & stairways with Osanloo posters. We was welcomed by a friendly understanding master who accepted
our 3 letters and signed them for receipt. We discussed with the master what
happened with Osanloo. The master informed he had
heard before from Osanloo. A badge, Inspectorate
Newsletter (Osanloo Edition) & Farsi Leaflet were
handed over and we thanked him for his cooperation and his time. On our way out
we passed the mess rooms to leave newsletters and leaflets. We bumped on few
seafarers and also they were decorated with Osanloo
badges, received newsletters and leaflets. While busy, we assured that the mess
room and the notice board in the recreation room received our attention. In the
galley we met the full “kitchen” staff. They received badges, newsletters and
leaflets. We had a chat with them and they expressed their understanding and
support.“
The ITF and ITUC (International Trade Union Confederation) are
campaigning to defend Mansour Osanloo,
who has been declared a prisoner of conscience by Amnesty International, which
is also backing the campaign for his release. See www.freeosanloo.org for
further information about Osanloo and his union’s
struggle. A short film about him can be seen at www.itfglobal.org/campaigns/osanloo-film.cfm
The following actions will be taking place on 6 March 2008 as part
of the campaign to free Mansour Osanloo,
with more being confirmed all the time. Updates on these can be seen at www.freeosanloo.org
ASIA/PACIFIC
Affiliates of NZCTU, led
by ITF unions, will hold a rally
outside the Iranian Embassy on 6 March. Letters signed by the head of each ITF
affiliated union in New Zealand will be submitted to the Prime Minister and
Minister of Foreign Affairs and copies sent to the leaders of all New Zealand
political parties, the New Zealand Council of Trade Unions, media, press and
other interested groups.
Press release on
New Zealand transport workers will be demonstrating
outside the Iranian Embassy, 151 Te Anua Road, Hataitai, Wellington at 12 noon, Thursday 6 March 2008.
The
protest is part of an international day of action by the International
Transport Workers' Federation (ITF) for the freedom of Iranian unionist and bus
driver Mansour Osanloo.
ITF
He
says Mansour Osanloo is
currently detained in the notorious Evin prison in
Teheran.
The
bus driver helped to create 'Sherkat-e Vahed' an independent trade union, representing 17,000 bus
workers in
Osanloo and his
fellow workers led protests that increased bus workers' pay by fifty dollars a
month, persuaded employers to provide work clothes, and got casual workers
signed to two-year contracts. They argued for forty-dollar childcare
allowances to be paid to women workers.

Mr
Butson says Osanloo has
been threatened, attacked and now imprisoned for five years for fighting for
basic workers rights.
Article
26 of the Iranian constitution recognises the right
of all citizens of the Islamic republic to participate in party politics, Union
organisations and other types of associations. It is
on this constitutional basis that Osanloo and others
decided to revive their Union to defend the rights of the workers of
The
Iranian Government is acting in defiance to the country's constitution, says Mr Butson.
"There
are reports that workers who have refused to resign from the
New
Zealand unions affiliated to the ITF include the Rail and Maritime Transport
Union, the Maritime Union of New Zealand, the Aviation and Marine Engineers
Association, the Engineering, Printing and Manufacturing Union, the National
Distribution Union, and the New Zealand Merchant Service Guild.
Other
Council of Trade Union affiliated unions are
supporting the action as well.
Solidarity
actions, including demonstrations, will also be held at Iranian embassies, in
cities, railway stations and at border crossings in Austria, Australia,
Belgium, Canada, Ethiopia, Cote d'Ivoire, France, Germany, India, Indonesia,
Italy, Japan, Korea, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Mali, The Netherlands, New Zealand,
Norway, Peru, Spain, South Africa, Switzerland, Thailand and Turkey. Other
countries are planning activities.
The
International Transport Workers' Federation (ITF) is made up of 681 unions
representing 4,500,000 transport workers in 148 countries. It is one of several
Global Union Federations allied with the International Trade Union
Confederation (ITUC).
ENDS
For
further information contact ITF
or Maritime
Union of
A rally in
support of Mansour Osanloo
and Mahmoud Salehi will be
held at Hyde Park in
ITF
inspectors in the ports of Bunbury and Gladstone are
visiting Iranian ships to deliver the ITF’s protest
message to the Iranian Government.
Members of
ITF affiliated unions will visit the Iranian Embassy. Rail unions will be
distributing leaflets at stations nationwide.
The Korean Transport Unions’ Federation (KTF) plans to
mobilise a large delegation to visit the Iranian Embassy on 6 March and
organise a rally in the central station in
The
ITF inspector in the
The
ITF inspector in the
HKCTU is planning a protest action at the Embassy. Unionists from the bus union will deliver
leaflets at one of the major terminals.
Led by the
seafarers union, KPI, 500 participants from the ITF affiliates in the road transport, railway and aviation sectors are expected to
attend activities on 6 March. Between 09:00-11:00 a rally will be held in front
of the Iranian Embassy. At 11:00-11:30, the rally will move to the Indonesian
Presidential Palace. At 13:00 a press conference will be held in the KPI Head
Office.
ITF affiliates will visit the
Iranian Embassy to deliver a protest letter. In the afternoon, the unions will
organise a Railway Action Day exhibition at the Hua Lumpang station in
TBC.
A
delegation from AIRF will visit the Iranian Embassy in
The Paradip
Port Workers will hold a General Meeting in the union’s training hall at Nishmani Bhawan in
The Transport & Dock
Workers’
The Tuticorin
Port Mariners & General Staff Union will hold a press meeting on 6 March in
order to publicise the Action Day in Tamil Nadu and will also hold meetings with other unions about
the campaign.
The
ITF inspector in the
The Pakistan Transport Workers’ Federation will organise a
rally from the Federation office to the Press Club Lahore on 6 March.
ARAB WORLD
Iraqi transport unions
participating in ITF education seminars held in
Members of the Iraqi dockers’
union from
Palestine
Transport workers’ unions
in the West Bank will organise a mass demonstration to express their solidarity
with the Iranian workers (no diplomatic mission is located in
The ITF unions will send a message to their members explaining the Free Osanloo campaign and will send a letter of protest to the Iranian
Embassy in
Jordan
An Embassy visit is
confirmed by Jordanian unions and campaign stickers have been distributed
widely.
Tunisia
The Fédération Nationale
des Transports will visit the Iranian Embassy in
Transport unions affiliated to the ITF will visit the Iranian Embassy in
*Activities in
The
Transport & Communications Workers' Trade Unions Industrial Federation
launched its campaign activities on 6 February. The union will send a protest
letter to several international bodies in order to demand the release of Mansour Osanloo and Mahmoud Salehi and is calling
upon the Prime Minister of Ethiopia to play a role in lobbying the diplomatic
communities. A protest letter signed by all affiliated unions will be sent to
the Iranian Embassy in
SATAWU confirms that 100
shop stewards will participate in a demonstration in
Guinea-Conakry
FENATRAMP.G
will organise activities on 6 March to highlight anti-union actions in
EUROPE
On 6 March, HAVA-IS is planning a
protest action in front of the Iranian Consulate in
Leaders of transport unions, together with the ITF
representative, will visit the Iranian Embassy in
The train drivers' union will organise a picket in front of
the Iranian Embassy in
Federatia Sindicala
Transloc will participate in the Action Day on 6
March under the slogan “I Wear the Badge”.
The union plans to bring together at least 100 unionists in front of the
Iranian Embassy and to offer the “Free Osanloo”
badges to all local transport drivers whose buses pass the Embassy. A letter of protest will also be sent to
the Iranian authorities.
The VDSzSz rail union is planning
awareness activities by publicising information about the
campaign on its webpage and asking members to sign the online petition.
The
Lithuanian Transport Workers‘ Federation will be raising public awareness about
the situation in Iran. An appeal has been sent to the Lithuanian trade union
confederations, to the Parliament and to the government. A picket is planned at
the Lithuanian government on 6 March. Information about the campaign will be
distributed.
The Estonian Seafarers' Independent Union will resolve to
support the Iranian Campaign at its annual conference on 6 March.
The
ITF inspector in the
The transport workers'
union will deliver the ITF/ITUC/Amnesty message to the Iranian Embassy in
Transport workers’ unions
will organise a demonstration outside the Iranian Embassy in
A joint press conference is planned by Gewerkschaft VIDA in the national Parliament, together with
representatives from the Human Rights Committee. The ITF “Free Osanloo” film will be shown in the entrance hall of Parliament
before the press conference. The union will contact representatives from local
Iranian groups in the community to attend the activities.
TRANSNET is planning
information activities throughout the country. Articles about the campaign will
be published in its union magazine and the union will send protest letters to
the Iranian Embassy.
Ver.di confirms that a group of
unionists will hold a protest rally in front of the Iranian Embassy in
The ITF inspector in the
The ITUC’s
FILT-CGIL, FIT-CISL and
UILTRASPORTI are working together on activities at the border points of Ventimiglia (France), Modane
(France), Domodossola (
The ITF inspector in the
The FNV Mondiaal
and FNV Bondgenoten will be visiting the Iranian
Embassy in
FNV are awarding a human rights prize to Mansour Osanloo, as described
below in their press release:
FNV trade union rights prize for jailed union leader in
The Iranian trade union leader Mansour Osanloo (48) is to be awarded the FNV 2008 union rights
prize. This prize is awarded every two years to someone who campaigns for the
observance of trade union rights under difficult circumstances and at personal
risk. Osanloo is president of the independent union
of bus drivers of
The international trade unions are staging a global action day on
Thursday 6 March to campaign for the release of Osanloo.
In the
Osanloo is not the only person in
Contact for more details:
Andriëtte Nommensen, Tel. +31 20 5816538, email:
andriette.nommensen@vc.fnv.nl
The ITF “Free Osanloo”
film will be shown at
The ETF and the
ITUC, together with members of the Belgian unions, GUFs
and Amnesty will hold a demonstration in front of the Iranian Embassy in
ITF
inspectors in the
BTB
is calling on its members to sign a petition and to send protest letters to the
Iranian Embassy. The union has published an article in its union magazine about
the campaign and distributed the “Free Osanloo”
badges to its members.
CGSP
has also published an article about the Action Day in its union magazine.
CGT Cheminots
and FO Cheminots will organise press conferences at
five border points around France to highlight the Free Osanloo
campaign and the importance of union freedom around the world and in particular
in Iran. The five border points are: Hendaye (
CGT Transports will send
letters to Members of Parliament (Ministers of Foreign Affairs and Transport)
and also distribute campaign leaflets on the Action Day.
The
ITF inspector in the
CC.OO and UGT will
distribute leaflets to workers and passengers at train stations and on buses
throughout
ELA-Hainbat
is also planning to distribute information on 6 March.
Cabin crew union SNPVAC
will send a protest letter to the Iranian Government.
ASLEF, GMB, RMT, TSSA, UNISON and UNITE, together with the ITF, TUC and Amnesty International will
organise a one-day event in
The ITF unions will also distribute thousands of leaflets at railway stations and city centres throughout the country including in
T&G Section of Unite
in Bradford (8/9-8 Branch) will be leafleting at the West Bowling Mosque this
Friday, 7 March to raise awareness of the local Muslim community on workers'
rights in
The
ITF inspector in the
The Canadian Labor Congress is planning a rally at
The Teamsters Canada has
reported that a letter is being circulated in Parliament for MPs and Senators
to sign, calling on the Canadian Government to intervene and get the Iranian
union leaders out of jail.
The ITF National
Coordinating Committee in
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Unions in
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