1st of May

The day of renewal of the commitment of the advanced and conscious workers to build a world free from oppression and exploitation!

We are celebrating International Workersʼ Day at a time when the world dominated by imperialism is immersed in the flames of poverty, bloodshed, reactionary wars for greater political and economic domination. Capitalism rules the world and in the absence of a revolutionary pole and contender, continues its brutal invasions and unprecedented exploitation and by  intensifying patriarchal relations and the oppression of women, paves the way for the rise of the most reactionary and misogynistic  forces in countries such as Iran and Afghanistan.

Deadly and devastating wars, high mortality from the coronavirus and other illnesses, economic hardship and crises that have burdened the workers and toilers of the world more than ever, exploitation and super-profit for finance capitals, especially in the dominated countries, gender inequality and sexual exploitation of woman’s body, intensification of reactionary religious, ethnic and nationalist contradictions, destruction of the environment, official enslavement of more than forty million and three hundred thousand people of the world, etc .; All in all, it has created an explosive and intolerable situation for the majority of the people, especially the workers and toilers of the world.

In Iran, the workers struggle, like in other countries of the world, has never been silenced. In recent years, news of the struggles of Haft Tappeh workers, oil and petrochemical workers, power plant workers, automobile workers, bus drivers, and workers of many other small and large factories has been increasingly heard from various media. The struggles that keep continuing despite the severe repression of the government. Various forms of repression, including coercion and torture for forced confessions, long-term imprisonment, mass-sacking, and countless other deprivations, were the heavy price paid by female and male progressive workers over the years, but at the same time they have also gained valuable experiences which made their struggles more radical and militant day by day.

The effective presence of women in the forefront of these struggles, as well as their prominent role in planning and leading protests, is very prominent, but unfortunately, even in the labour literature, the role of women is ignored when it comes to "workers struggles" in Iran, and what they are mainly referred to is the "struggles of working men."

The widespread labour struggles in Iran and the world, which are carried out to make it tolerable and improve working conditions, are just and inspiring struggles that encourage other oppressed classes to resist and struggle. But it must not be forgotten that in order to advance these spontaneous struggles into a revolutionary and planned struggles, the existence of independent workers organisations and the leadership of a conscious and progressive forces over these struggles are necessary and inevitable process of preparations for revolutionary advances.

In struggles against capitalism in all its aspects, female and male workers and toilers of Iran and Afghanistan and all around the world, we can only rely on the forces of our unity and solidarity. A force armed with the weapons of organization and consciousness for overthrowing this order through preparing for a real revolution and taking firm and confident steps towards building a world free of oppression and exploitation.

Long live May Day, International Workersʼ Day

8 March Women’s Organisation (Iran-Afghanistan)

 1st May 2022