Stand in solidarity with Iranian teachers’ protest for justice

Today (Monday 13 December 2021) thousands of protesting teachers have assembled in front of the Majlis (Iranian parliament) building in downtown Tehran, and the main headquarters of education authorities in 25 provinces and 60 cities across Iran, demanding justice and redress from the government. The gatherings in Tehran and Shiraz were particularly well-attended and supported. This is the culmination of two days of action by teachers and workers in the education sector throughout the country.

Mohammad Habibi, the spokesperson of the Iranian Teachers Trade Association (ITTA), told Jamshid Ahmadi, Assistant General Secretary of CODIR, today that the nationwide demonstrations and public assemblies have been organised by the Coordinating Council of Educators/Teachers Associations [of Iran] (CCETA) to protest against the non-implementation of a teacher job evaluation scheme, as well as the failure to bring about the proper equalisation of pensions for retired teachers.

On Monday, President Raisi put the planned budget for the next financial year before the Majlis for approval. The CCETA has charged that the budget allocated for the implementation of a fit and proper job evaluation scheme for teachers across the country is only a fraction of that required and has criticised the government for playing fire with people’s livelihoods.

On Saturday, the first day of the strike, security forces arrested Rasoul Badaghi, a well-known leader of the ITTA.

The CCETA has issued a statement, which read: “Mr. Rasoul Badaghi, a member of the board of directors of the Islamshahr ITTA and a representative of this organisation in the CCETA, has been violently and in an undignified manner, arrested by the security police.

“Mr. Badaghi is one of the most prominent and dedicated trade union activists [in Iran] and has already spent 7 years in prison for his legitimate union activities, but he has never stopped demanding justice and has bravely kept to the path of seeking rights and fulfilling the demands of teachers and students.

“The CCETA demands the immediate and unconditional release of Mr. Badaghi, and other imprisoned teacher activists, as well as the cessation of the summoning and taking legal action against trade union activists.”

CODIR urgently calls upon the trade unions in Britain, particularly the teacher and education unions, for solidarity with the protesting teachers and educators in Iran as they bravely make their stand against the ruinous policies of the government there. They should demand the immediate and unconditional release of Rasoul Badaghi and other protesting teachers.

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