From day to day, it's easy enough to find items in the international press that chronicle the ongoing controversy over Iran's nuclear program. But what the press doesn't cover — one might even say they neglect to cover — is the struggle of working class Iranians in their efforts at building an Iran in which both life and livelihood are respected.

Over the course of recent years, Iran has seen a resurgence in the momentum of its workers movement.  In response to this, the Iranian government has stepped up its efforts to stifle organization and solidarity amongst workers.  In late 2005, several prominent figures in Iran's workers movement received prison sentences following their attempt to organize a May Day demonstration in 2004.

From News & Letters:

The courts of the government of Iran have sentenced a number of prominent labour movement activists to several years in prison, to be followed for some of them with exile. Their only "crime" is the attempt to hold a celebration event on May Day 2004.

These workers were arrested at the gathering for International Workers' Day on May 1, 2004 at the Children's Park in the city of Saqiz, and sent to the dungeons. According to the rulings issued by the courts, Mahmud Salehi, the spokesman for the Coordinating Committee for the Creation of a Workers' Organization has been sentenced to 5 years in prison and 2 years in exile. Jalal Hosseini has been sentenced to 3 years in prison. Mohsen Hakimi, also a member of Iranian Writers' Association, Muhammad Abdipur and Borhan Divargar, other prominent figures in the workers' movement, have been sentenced to 2 years in prison each.  (full article)

Although the above sentences are indeed draconian, they are simply the most recent examples of the systematic repression of working people in Iran.  Police intimidation and assault are foremost among the measures employed by the elite of Iran in their ongoing campaign against Iran's workers and their families.

While the better part of the "New World Order" spends its time scrutinizing Iran's nuclear program and building its case for a new war in the Middle East, the working people of Iran continue to struggle under the constant shadow of hostility and repression from the combined threat of foreign aggressors and their own ruling class.

[special thanks to "K" for contributing to this article]