World Threats

These from our friends in Iran. The sanctions are working but slowly.

Plastic Factory of Kian Tyre. Situated in Saveh –ChaharLang road with 1200 workers, this factory due to repression and pressures which was manipulated on workers is a critical factory, which in different occasions many protests took place. These facts were repeated in this factory over and over again. The latest protest gathering took place on 19th of August this year by 400 workers seeking for their unpaid salary of 5 months since the year 2009 and unpaid lawful premium since 2007. All of these are happening in the hot days of Ramadan and in the situation of living under poverty line. The manager of this factory called Sharafi who is one of the government’s relatives, has done nothing to consider or change the situation of this factory.

Industry Company of Azarbaijan. Based in Tabriz, in the past it used to produce agricultural machinery with combine is now faces crisis. The remained workers of this facture are about 70. They have not been paid since 5 months ago and they have not received their unpaid salaries of last year.

Neopan Company of Ahwaz . Based near cane complex in the old road of Ahwaz- Khoramshahr – Salary of 7 months of more than 800 workers of this company have not been paid. This company was built in 2001 and used to have about 1500 workers and it was same as other critical factories.

Tabriz car making Factory. Now this factory is divided into three departments of car making and Industry Company and one other. The industry company is facing problem due to not having any sale and is in crisis. One of the employee’s of this company said that car making department because of lack of نقدينگي and also problem of providing parts from foreign countries is facing downfall and crisis. For example they used to use electrical pipes made in America, now they have to get it from Turkey with less quality which high prices and by long time of preparation.

Chinandegan company of Marand. This Company produces incombustible bricks and their materials, and has 800 workers. These workers despite hard works have not received their salary for more that 4 months and they are facing with many living problems.

Varaghkaran Company. 110 workers of this company have not received their salary for more than 3 months. This company is in Eastern Azarbaijan in Tabriz city. The workers of this company are asking for their unpaid salaries but they don’t get any reply.

Pipe making workers of Khuzistan. 22nd of August 2010, more than 80 workers of this company gathered and asked from the representative of Ahwaz city in parliament, and other authorities for 17 months unpaid salary and raised they voice and protests against them. Workers shouted “Ramadan month came but our salaries didn’t come Rights should be taken and we will do that”.

Carpet and blanket factory of Tabriz. This factory started in 1976 and in the year 2000 it had more than 475 workers. After privatizing it faced crisis and started to expel the workers and now it has 65 workers. This factory due to lack of materials is in the verge of closing down. The original materials and strings used to be imported from Turkey, which now is impossible because of sanctions.

Shoe factory and manufacturing workshops of Tabriz. Due to the sanctions and not entering foreign goods and high price of original materials, workshops and manufacturing units can not continue to produce shoe and these sections are facing with closing down such as Jaroobi and Azin shoe.

Religious freedom anyone?

Aug. 21, 2010. Hamed Pishkar, a Christian living in the town of Rasht, was arrested on August 16 n his home for holding a session to answer questions (on Christianity) and carrying out religious rites. Security forces initially conducted a search in his home and then took this Christian citizen to an unknown location. In the past few months, there has been increased pressure on Christians in Rasht. Davoud Nejat Sabet and Shahin Taqi Zadeh who were both caretakers of the Church of Iran in Rasht were sentenced to one year of suspended sentence which can be carried out within five years.
Yusef Nodrkhani, another Christian has been jailed in the Lakan Prison in Rasht since last September waiting for his sentence to be issued.