Free Republic

Mansour Osanlou, the leader of Tehran's municipal bus service union, was reportedly assaulted by an inmate in an Iranian prison, RFE/RL's Radio Farda reports. The trade unionist was not injured in the attack, which occurred at Gohardasht prison in Karaj, west of Tehran, on February 22. Osanlou was arrested in July 2007 after being abducted on the street by security forces. He is serving a five-year prison term for what authorities say was acting against "national security." He had been detained several times between 2005-2007. Canadian-based labor activist Mehdi Kouhestaninejad told RFE/RL that Osanlou has been persecuted in prison by...

AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL Public Statement 2 February 2006 IRAN: AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL CALLS FOR RELEASE OF BUS WORKERS Amnesty International is calling on the Iranian authorities to release immediately hundreds of Tehran bus workers who were detained last week apparently to pre-empt threatened strike action. Although some of the workers have been released, hundreds are reported still to be detained without charge or trial at Tehran’s Evin Prison. The arrests began after the executive committee of the Union of Workers of the Tehran and Suburbs Bus Company, which represents workers employed by the United Bus Company of Tehran (Sharekat-e Vahed), called for...

Press Release: International Trade Union Confederation Iran says Osanloo to be freed – good but not good enough, say ITF and ITUC The ITF and ITUC today welcomed an Iranian government promise that Mansour Osanloo is to be freed – but stated that there are still 52 other innocent trade unionists who should also be released. The two organisations were speaking out after discovering that Iran has told the International Labour Organization (ILO) that Osanloo is due for release. The assurance is contained in the ILO’s report* on the complaints made against the country by the ITF and ITUC, and...

The IT group IBM apparently is planning massive job cuts in Germany. According to the trade union Verdi, the Group has informed on Wednesday about the planned reduction of nearly 1,000 jobs by March 2017th This was announced by Verdi in a newsletter. Primarily affects service segments. The group had invited the workers' representatives to negotiations for a social plan and balance of interests. In Hannover, a region should be shut down with about 200 employees, said a Verdi representatives. The Hanover stay but generally preserved. "IBM has informed the participation and invited to negotiations," confirmed an IBM spokesman. A...