Archive for April, 2007

Iran’s teachers stage a 2-day strike

April 18, 2007 at 10:42 am · Filed under Iran

From www.labourstart.org
Monday 16 April 2007

Teachers in Iran were on a nationwide strike today for the second day
running.

Called by the Teachers’ Trade Association of Iran (Kanoon e Senfi e
Moalleman e Iran), the strike followed last month’s massive protests over pay and conditions, which ended in the arrest of hundreds of teachers as the security forces moved in to crush the action.

Labour organisations around the world and various sections of workers in Iran have protested at the regime’s brutality, calling for the release of those still in prison and the meeting of teachers’ legitimate demands.

In Sunday’s and Monday’s actions nearly all the schools in Tehran remained closed. Secondary schools were reported shut, while some primary schools remained open but no teaching took place.

In addition to the capital, the strike was observed in the following cities and regions: Esfahan, Homayoon-Shahr, Shahin-Shahr, Flaverjan, Pirbekran, Bojnoord, Eslam-Shahr, Shazand, Khomein, Arak, Tafresh, Farahan, Delijan, Karaj, Saghez, Bookan, Hamedan, Aligoodarz, Ardebil, Kerman, Urumiye, Tabriz and Broojen.

In Eslam-Shahr teachers were threatened. They were told not to assemble in the school.

In another development, 5 of the 9 detained teachers in the city of Hamedan, members of the Teachers’ Trade Association, were released after nearly 10 days in prison. They are: Jalilian, Foroozanfar, Sadeghi, Naderi and Najafi. The following are still in prison: Zareiee, Ghadimi, Refahiat and Gholami.

In Homayoon-Shahr in Esfahan Province, 4 teachers were summoned to the Information Ministry and detained. They are: Mojtaba Abtahi, Abdolrasool Emaadi, Nurullah Barkhordar and Hamid Mojizi. Their whereabouts are unknown.

In the city of Kerman, the city’s education chief accused the teachers of ‘conspiracy against the system’, following which several teachers were arrested. On Saturday 14 April, Hamid Pour Vosoogh, Alireza Rezaiee and Mohammad Reza Rezaiee were arrested and taken to Evin Prison in Tehran.

The teachers’ two-day action was pre-planned and went ahead in spite of the mass arrests, harassment and intimidation by the government. There is already talk amongst teachers of further actions in the coming days.

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Canadian University in Indefinite Strike Action

April 4, 2007 at 4:36 pm · Filed under Canada

[From libcom.org]

A total of 2000 university teachers have been on strike since the 14th of March after management refused to make concessions to their demands.

The strike concerns chargés de cours, who are teachers who are employed part-time to teach specific lessons. They are not permanent employees and are paid significantly less than permanent full-time teachers. The SCCCUL (Syndicat des chargés et chargées de cours de l’Université Laval) is demanding a pay rise and improved working conditions for the chargés de cours in recognition of the fact that the work that they do is no different to that of permanent staff.

The refusal of the management to budge during initial negotiations led to an indefinite strike being called, management claimed that they were able to cover 800 of the posts themselves or with permanent staff. The strike has increased in militancy recently with strikers beginning to heavily picket the university, with most classes being cancelled. The union has issued a statement recognising “the students have a right to their lessons, they have a right to be taught by the same staff as before, once these staff have been given a collective agreement recognising their rights.

Last Wednesday 100 strikers held a sit-in in the assistant rector’s offices, the previous day they blocked a nearby motorway. There are daily demonstrations and pickets.

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