Sunday 3 March 2019

Teachers on strike at the school  gate , Marivan, West Iran

As previously was announced teachers in different regions across Iran joined a national strike in defence of their pay and conditions of service and refused to attend classrooms. The reports from Iran indicate that thousands of teachers in schools across the country in various regions supported the strike by refusing to attend classrooms.  This is the third strike since the start of the academic year in Iran (20 September 2018) till now.  Teachers have stated that their strike action will last till 5 March.

The nationwide strike is called and coordinated by Iran’s Teachers Trade Association (ITTA).  A number of key leaders of ITTA including Esmail Abdi (National Secretary), Mohammad Habibi and Mahmoud Beheshti Langroudi  (members of the Executive Board ITTA) and other teacher trade union activists have been sentenced to long term imprisonment for campaigning for a fair education system in Iran and for fair salaries and better conditions of service.

In Britain teaching trade unions, NEU and NASUWT, both support the campaign by Iranian teachers and are have worked through Education International (ei) to mobilise global solidarity with their brothers and sisters.