SAK/STTK/Akava
Dear Ambassador Nazarahari,
World protests to demand union rights for Iranian workers
The ITUC (International Trade Union Confederation), to which the Central Organisation of Finnish
Trade Unions SAK, the Finnish Confederation of Professionals STTK and Akava Confederation of Unions
for Professional and Managerial Staff in Finland are affiliated, is deeply concerned about the union
rights of Iranian workers.
The ITUC, EI (Education International), ITF (International Transport Workers' Federation), IUF
(International Union of Food, Agricultural, Hotel, Restaurant, Catering, Tobacco and Allied Workers'
Associations) representing over 170 million workers have called a worldwide action day on June 26 to
demand justice for Iranian workers. Demonstrations will take place outside Iranian embassies and
consulates to protest the ongoing denial of rights and arrests of trade unionists within the country.
SAK, STTK and Akava representing over 2 million employees in Finland share the concern of the global
union organisations and join the coalition for the event, which is the latest move in an ongoing
campaign to secure justice and trade union rights inside Iran. Amnesty International has backed this
campaign. 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.
SAK, STTK and Akava are calling for the immediate and unconditional release of jailed trade union members
and leaders including Mansour Osanloo, Ebrahim Madadi, Farzad Kamangar, and the annulment of the one
year prison sentences recently handed down against the five leaders of the Haft Tapeh Sugarworkers'
Union, as well as the release of trade unionists arrested in Tehran on May Day.
Guy Ryder, ITUC General Secretary explains: '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.'
SAK, STTK and Akava are working with our trade union colleagues around the world to advance the
demands outlined above. We urge the Embassy of the Islamic Republic of Iran to mediate our concern
and we call the Iranian authorities to ensure that trade union activists no longer face arrest for
exercising their internationally recognized right to form and join trade unions and that peaceful
gatherings of workers' rights activists are permitted to take place.
Helsinki, 26 June 2009
Lauri Lyly, President, SAK
Mikko Mäenpää, President, STTK
Matti Viljanen, President, Akava
