MUA video of Canberra Iran protests

Date: 27 June 2009

MUA members and officials joined around 300 unionists, workers and members of the Australian Iranian community outside the Iranian Embassy in Canberra, protesting against the repression of workers' rights in Iran. Watch the video by MUA film maker and waterside worker COOPER SILK

The Iranian Ambassador refused to meet with union members to accept a letter to the Ambassador from the Australian Council of Trade Unions outlining condemning the torture and imprisonment of unionists in Iran.

The letter has been sent by fax to the Ambassador instead.

Four global union organisations representing over 170 million workers called a worldwide action day on June 26 to demand justice for Iranian workers.

Demonstrations took place outside Iranian embassies and consulates worldwide to protest the ongoing denial of rights and arrests of trade unionists within the country.

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) are forming a coalition for the event, which is the latest move in an ongoing campaign to secure justice and trade union rights inside Iran.

They are calling for the immediate and unconditional release of jailed trade unionist members and leaders including Mansour Osanloo, Ebrahim Madadi, Farzad Kamangar and the five leaders of the Haft Tapeh Sugarworkers' Union, recently sentenced to a year in prison, as well as the release of trade unionists arrested in Tehran on May Day.

Amnesty International has backed this campaign.

Guy Ryder, ITUC General Secretary explained: 'Each of these organisations has campaigned to protect their colleagues in Iran, and now we are all joining forces to do it even more effectively.'

'We have exhausted all avenues of reasonable dialogue to persuade the government of Iran to allow basic human and trade union rights. Their answer has been repression and arrests. Given this failure we must take to the streets to demonstrate that the world is watching what they are doing and what is happening to our colleagues within the country.'

For further information

Contact:	Zoe Reynolds
Union:	Maritime Union of Australia
WWW:	http://www.mua.org.au/

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