Labor Day is a day for celebration and appreciation of hard working groups in every country that make economic development possible around the world.
In the Charter of Human Rights, the rights of workers and their dignity have been recognized and emphasized. It promotes the basic rights of workers to strike, to gather, and to establish associations. Civic establishments such as a Workers’ Association play a major role in establishing democracy. In a democratic society, workers have the right to gather and form associations, which enables them to stand up and protest against whatever violates their rights.
Unfortunately, our Iranian workers’ rights are violated under the rule of the current regime. Gatherings of workers are being repressed forcefully, and most of the advocates of workers’ rights are in prison just because they have spoken out for basic workers’ rights.
Astonishing abuses are taking place in the Islamic Republic. Meanwhile as a result of regime’s unwise policy on atomic energy, the country’s economy is on the edge of collapse. Regretfully we are witnessing that workers are being underpaid, or worse, they are being laid off, and even children are being used as a workers.
Based on Article 23 of the Charters of Human Rights, workers should be paid while they are out of work and they should have access to Social Welfare. Unfortunately even these basic rights are violated on daily basis in Iran, because the regime’s priorities continue to be misaligned with the peoples’ basic needs.
My compatriots,
I commemorate and dedicate this day to the most hard working group in our society, all our nation’s workers. They have a major role in developing our economy and they can also play an important role in the establishment of democracy in our society. I do hope that all the workers of our society will one day have to their lawful and rightful rights.
May God bless Iran
Reza Pahlavi
