Brussels, 27 April 2009: A coalition of four international trade union organisations today told the government of Iran to respect their citizens’ rights and permit free assembly on May Day – a day when the Iranian authorities traditionally meet peaceful demonstrations with violence and arrests. They are simultaneously announcing the declaration of an action day in countries across the world to protest at the continuing attempts to crush Iranain workers’ rights.

The ITUC (International Trade Union Confederation), EI (Education International), ITF (International Transport Workers’ Federation) and IUF (International Union of Food, Agricultural, Hotel, Restaurant, Catering, Tobacco and Allied Workers’ Associations) have all campaigned on this issue. Their statement also calls for an end to the repression of independent trade unions and their members in Iran, and for the immediate and unconditional release of jailed trade unionists including Mansour Osanloo, Ebrahim Madadi, Farzad Kamangar and the five leaders of the Haft Tapeh Sugarworkers’ Union, recently sentenced to a year in prison. It states:

To read the full statement

For more details please contact

ITF. Press officer Sam Dawson. Tel: +44 (0)20 7940 9260. Email: [email protected]

IUF. Peter Rossman. Email: [email protected]

ITUC Press Office: +32 2 224 0204

The ITUC represents 170 million workers in 312 affiliated national organisations from 157 countries and territories. http://www.ituc-csi.org http://www.youtube.com/ITUCCSI

For more information please contact the ITUC Press Department on: +32 2 224 0204 or +32 476 621 018