Honoring May 1st International Workers’ Day

May 1st is the anniversary of May 1866. In this day workers in Chicago took to the streets and with their unified uprising were able to impose 8 hours-per-day working law to the capitalist system. From there on, every year workers of the world celebrate this historic day. Each year workers throughout the world with their demonstrations and street marches add to the importance of this glorious day.

This year workers in Iran celebrate this historic day in a situation that the regime of Islamic Republic with all kinds of gimmicks, plots, and pretentious parades hopes to undermine the workers’ independent demonstrations. Even though the workers in Iran celebrate this day to show their international solidarity, but fight against the dictatorial and repressive conditions, which are the direct results of the prolonged tyrannical system of government, is the main reason why the Iranian workers take to the streets on this day. From the day that the Islamic Republic came to power socio-economic condition of the working class and working masses continued to deteriorate. All the promises made by the regime throughout these years have all been empty promises. Today, the working class of Iran is under an intolerable harsh economic condition. After so many years of empty promises, it has now become a routine by the owners of the factories and different industries to frequently delay and even sometimes ignore to pay the workers’ meager wages. Workers have no right to go on strike or to publicly voice their demands. Despite all these mounting brutal pressures, the workers’ protests are on the rise throughout the nation and the heads of the regime are no longer able to stop these growing uprisings.

All the “labor laws” passed by the regime are against the workers. Islamic labor laws are there only to recognize and legitimize the ongoing class exploitation and to deprive the workers from their basic rights. After more than 29 years of disastrous market oriented policies, still capitalist slogans such as improving “commerce and market conditions” are on top of the agendas presented by the candidates running for government or public offices. All ignoring the pivotal role of the working class and its social well being that is an essential pillar for any economic progress. Throughout these years it has become clear that the economic polices of the Islamic Republic are based on the “commandments” of the founder of the regime Ayatollah Roohollah Khomeini who believed in empowering the “respected Bazaar merchants” (i.e., traditional powerful commerce sector operating from Bazaar). On the political and social front the regime has been so backward that over the years advertising and promoting dark-age superstitions have become its routine public policy. Lack of domestic support for the regime has forced the theocratic rulers to pursue tension-oriented adventurous policies in the international front only hoping to prolong and strengthen their grip on power. The heads of the regime know well that their very survival is tightly geared towards domestic repression on one hand and creating international tensions on the other hand. Same policies that created devastating 8 years of war with Iraq. With this justification that the nation is in war and disguising under the war slogans, the regime managed to send so many of the revolutionaries and intellectuals to the fire squads in those years. With no doubt the majority of the people of Iran regard this “divine regime” with deep resentment. Regime knows well that under a right condition millions of people from all ranks of the society will rise against them.

Factional infighting among the heads of the regime regarding the nuclear issue continues to deepen. This power struggle has reached a point that event the “fundamentalists” have started fighting among each other. Hashemi Rafsanjani head of “Expediency Discernment Council of the System” who was one of the founders and architects of the Islamic regime and was always considered one of the Khomeini’s personal confidants, is now openly opposing Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s administration. Mahdavi Kani who is one of the top figures of the regime and is the founder of the “Rohaniate Mobarez” (i.e., Combatant Clergies Association), worry about the possible future uprisings and public protests, is criticizing the Ahmadinejad’s cabinet. Hadad Adel head of the Iran’s Parliament is openly talking against the Ahmadinejad and the influence of the Sepahe Passdaran (elite antiriot paramilitary force). Adel is saying he is worry about the increasing power of the Pasdaran and its interference with the Parliament’s affairs. Ahmadinejad, upset over these remarks, in an open letter to the head of the Iran’s Parliament while threatening him has said Adel’s unlawful activities should be investigated. In the second paragraph of this letter, dated April 22nd 2008, Ahmadinejad asks, “who is responsible for all the accusations against the president, and who should be held responsible for violating the constitution. How this damage is reparable and how your violations can be investigated?” All the signs are indicating that the heads of the regime are no longer able to rule as a unified force as they did in the past. As these factional infightings continue to spread and deepen, centralized power of the regime and its unity keeps deteriorating.

Combatant Workers,

Tensions that are created here and there between Western powers and the Islamic Republic over the regime’s nuclear plans are only for the West to push for more concessions and serve no other purpose. Western powers headed by the US have detail knowledge about the scope and magnitude of the regime’s nuclear plans. For Western powers, in order to protect their own interests, while threatening the regime, at the same time continue to negotiate and haggle with the regime. Whatever the outcome of these negotiations, with no doubt, these negotiations are not going to serve the interests of the people of Iran. People in Iran, specially the working class, are left with no option but to unite and with a strong solidarity to bring down the entire regime of Islamic Republic. People are left with no choice but to topple the regime and replace it with a democratic government.

Long Live Workers’ International Solidarity,

Organisation of Iranian People's Fedaii Guerillas
1 May 2008




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