We celebrate International Workers’ Day in circumstances when for the first time in its 49-year history we begin the (Iranian) new year without the customary new year financial contribution by the Company. As the saying goes “you can predict a year by its spring”. Two months into the new year we have yet to receive the salary for the last month of the previous and the first months of the current year. There are rumours that workers are to be sent home for many months as there are no funds to pay them. More than at anytime workers in the company feel intense job insecurity and of course the management is using this to frighten workers so that they can be made redundant and the work force made leaner.
Unfortunately they see the problems of the Company as that of an excess labour force, while the real problems facing it is the mistaken policies of the government over the sugar industry. They have been trying to speed up privatisation, and if privatisation continues in this vein we will face the same fate as the Dezful sugar company.
We should also mention the role of the sugar Mafia-gangs across the country and the unfortunate increase in sugar imports by the government and their refusal to guarantee purchase of internal production, the reduction of import duty. Saedi, parliamentary (Majles) representative from [our province] Shush has also failed to address the issues considering his position as the head of the agricultural commission in the Majles, and one of those with a key input into last year’s government budget. His statement that Iranian sugar-producers cannot compete with imports is particularly unfortunate. It was expected of him that he would at the very least prevent the cutting of electricity and reduction in water supply.
The Haft Tappeh Company has become the unworthy son the government and all those in positions of responsibility have refused to address the company’s problems. The heavy toll has been offloaded on the shoulders of the industrious workers of the company.
On our part we have resolved to do everything in our power to keep the company on its feet and to increase production more than ever and cut off the hands of those who are deliberately bent on closing down the company. We are resolved to safeguard the company until our last breath.
Here we once again enumerate our demands
· Clarification of the role of the chief executive Yaghoub Shafii who rarely shows his face.
· Sacking those managers who because of their incompetence caused the falling production
· Elections to a free workers association (trade association)
· Giving full employment contract to contract workers
· An end to fabricating dossiers and persecution of activist workers
· An end to repression of workers by an individual called Zibdari who is in charge of company security
· Payment of wages on time
· Review of job classification
· Return of 200 company housing to workers now occupied by the security forces
· Stopping the giving over of agricultural land to private companies who are using it to plant crops other than sugar cane
· To resume such amenities as the self-service
· To prosecute those who are plotting to destroy company land including allowing livestock to roam these lands
· To reform the way contracts and tendering are being negotiated
At the end we inform relevant authorities that we are determined to pursue our demands and will not stop our struggles until we achieve our aims.
Despite the daily pain and tribulations we face, we celebrate the international labour day and send our greetings to all the workers of Iran.
Workers at the Haft Tappeh Sugarcane company in Shush
May 1 2008.