TUC Protests to Iran and Iraq

IRAN

TUC General Secretary Brendan Barber has written to the Iranian authorities protesting about the sentencing to death of Iranian Kurdish teacher trade unionist Mr Farzad Kamangar (see photo), urging the government to re-examine his case and commute his death sentence. He states

"The Trades Union Congress, representing British people at work through our 58 trade unions and their 6.5 million members, is deeply concerned about trade union repression in Iran, as my frequent letters to you demonstrate. I hope that you will register with your Government the concerns of British trade unionists about the case of teacher trade unionist Mr Farzad Kamangar, and urge them to re-examine his case and commute his death sentence...

We understand that Mr Kamangar was sentenced to death on 25 February 2008 by the Tehran Revolutionary Court on charges of 'endangering national security.' Aged 32, Farzad Kamangar has worked for 12 years as a teacher in Kamyaran. He was member of the Kurdish Teachers Trade Association and was in charge of public relations for the teacher union until it was outlawed. Farzad Kamangar was also active in defending human rights, minority rights and women's rights."

For full details see here.

IRAQ

Brendan Barber has also written to the Iraqi Minister for Labour and Social Affairs expressing concerns about the state of trade union law in Iraq as it operates outside of Iraqi Kurdistan. His concerns include (a) Iraqi Government moves to manipulate elections within their Trade Union Movement,(b) the confiscation of Trade Union funds by the State and (c) the continuation of Saddam Hussein's ban upon Trade Unions operating within the major public section of the Iraqi Economy.

For full details see here.