We Support the Teachers’ Demands!

Successful Holding of Nationwide Teacher Protest:

We Support the Teachers’ Demands!

Thousands of teachers and cultural figures responded positively to the call of the Coordinating Council of Cultural Trade Unions on December 2, to take part in a mass protest against the regime's and parliament's indifference to the demands of teachers and retirees. They took to the streets in eighty-two cities and towns in different parts of the country to once again show their determination to the regime and parliament to regain their violated rights and to make the largest protest organized by the teachers in a decade. In Shiraz alone, 15,000 employed and retired teachers and cultural figures took part in the protests.

The number of participants in the call of leadership of teachers' organizations and the number of cities where the protests took place were higher than in the previous two calls, and the presence of female teachers in organizing and participating in rallies was even more significant than in the past. The formation of such a large-scale and orderly protest would not have been possible without the existence and leadership of trade unions formed in a significant number of cities, albeit with strong demand motives. This implies the irreplaceable role of independent trade unions.

Allocation of insufficient funds for the proper implementation of the desired ranking of teachers in the parliament and disregard for other demands of teachers, such as equalization of retirees, based on the Civil Service Management Law, were the main demands of the teachers' nationwide protest on December 2nd. Freedom of imprisoned teachers and high quality and free education for all students were also among the demands raised at the rallies.

Splendid protesting and demanding rallies of teachers and cultural figures in different cities were held in a situation where a large number of teachers are in prison and in the days before the demonstrations, a large number of organizers and activists of trade unions were warned and threatened of their participation in rallies by security agencies. Security forces also raided a rally in Mashhad to prevent teachers from continuing to protest, and there were reports of attempts to detain participants in some cities. However, none of these measures could prevent these widespread protests.

The Executive Board of the Left Party of Iran (People’s Fadaian) considers the successful holding of the nationwide protests of employed and retired teachers and cultural figures in more than eighty cities of the country as an effective and necessary step towards achieving demands and rights of hardworking teachers and educators. Our party supports this righteous action, which became possible in the light of solidarity, effort, and organized activity and with the wisdom of the Coordinating Council of Cultural Trade Unions and congratulates all the dear teachers and cultural figures of the country on this success. Alongside the teachers, cultural figures, and progressive forces, we also strongly condemn, the persecution of members and activists of educators' unions, their imprisonment and expulsion, and attack on teachers' and workers' unions. We support the common struggle of all libertarians for the release of all political and civil prisoners and the right to strike and protest unconditionally.

Political-Executive Board of the Left Party of Iran (People’s Fadaian)

December 4, 2021