Afshin Osanloo is the brother of
Mansour Osanlou, a leading trade union activist and a member of the board of
directors of the Syndicate of Workers of Tehran and Suburbs Bus Company [an
independent union that has been campaigning vigorously for workers' rights in
Iran]. Afshin Osanlou was arrested in the fall of 2009 and remains behind bars.
In an open letter addressed to the International Workers’ Transport Federation
(ITF) and the International Labor Organization (ILO) Osanlou speaks of the pain
and suffering he has endured while behind bars. The content of the letter as
provided to Kaleme is as follows:
I am married and have two boys.
Shortly after forming a family I began working for a period of two years at the
IRGC’s Khatam Alanbia Construction headquarters as a driver for heavy machinery
for disadvantaged and war-torn provinces in the southern part of Iran including
working on important projects such as the construction of the roads at Karkheh,
Mahshahr port and a water canal from
Karkheh damn to Hamidiyeh in Ahvaz. I endured separation from my family because
of the love for my country. After two years I was laid off along with other
employees with temporary work permits.
In 1988 I was hired by the Tehran and Suburbs Bus Company where I worked
as a bus driver volunteering for twelve hour day and night shifts for some of
the busiest routes. During my four years
at Tehran and Suburbs Bus Company in collaboration with my honorable and
hardworking co-workers, I sought to
improve working conditions, pushed for the implementation of more efficient management systems, spoke out
against corruption by a large number of managers across a variety of branches
and regions within the company, including the representatives of the Islamic
Labor Council, followed up on unpaid bonuses and vouchers, ensured that the
work performed by workers would be designated as difficult and hazardous and
pushed for the elimination of temporary contracts for workers who had been
employed for more than 4 to five years, to name a few.
Despite the fact that we were not
always successful in achieving our goals, we were nevertheless a thorn in the
eyes of greedy middle management, who sought to eliminate us at all means. We
were continuously under pressure by management and often threatened to be laid
off. Unfortunately in 2001 while
transferring a passenger on one of the bus lines I had an accident that led to
the death of another driver. At the time
I asked the company’s management for support in paying the deceased’s insurance claim, but the management and the
deceased’s family colluded to increase the insurance claim from 12.000 USD to
14,000 USD. Since the increased amount was not covered by the insurance
company, I was responsible to pay this amount out of pocket or risk
imprisonment. My complaints to the department of labor went unanswered and in
the end the company agreed to pay the difference with the caveat that I resign
from my post. My resignation resulted in
four wasted years at the company and I was once again forced to start all over
again after four years of hard work and determination. The stress of these
events caused my family much harm and my wife who was pregnant at the time even
developed a neurological disorder.
Following my resignation and until my arrest I worked as a bus driver
for the transportation sector in the suburbs. Given that the fleet was
privately owned, drivers lacked the benefits derived from the presence of
strong and independent unions, but like many of my honorable and hardworking
colleagues facing a myriad of problems, I too made ends meet. Often through
dialogue and consultation with other drivers, we sought to improve our working
conditions and our lives. I have always lived within the framework of the law
and aspired to be a law abiding citizen.
I have been content and proud of my career. I have always sought to
treat others with respect. I feel a
strong bond towards my country and my fellow compatriots and have spent my
entire live serving my society with a goal to educate my sons to live by the
same values.
Following a year of complete limbo sate behind bars at wards 209 and 350,
the 15th branch of the Revolutionary Court presided by Judge Salavati sentenced
me on charges of colluding against the national security of the country. I was deprived of a right to a lawyer during
the entire judicial process and my trial lasted only a few minutes. A week later I was sentenced to 5 years
behind bars. Despite appealing this
sentence, my appeal was never reviewed by the appeals court and my family and I
have never been informed of the status of my appeal to the appeals court. I was sentenced to five years behind bars on
baseless charges and have now served two years of my sentence. What exactly did
I do against the national security of my country? I was neither politically active, nor was I
affiliated with any political group or entity. I was a civic activist and my
activities were always within the framework of the law. The only crime I
committed was demanding the legal rights of the workers. The arrest and imprisonment of those who
demand that workers’ rights be upheld will not make the problems disappear.
Requirements such as the creation of an independent labor union designed to
protect the legal rights of workers as per the regulations defined by the
Department of Labor in the area of job security, better wages that are in line
with inflation, ensuring that wages are fair and balanced and workers have
access to benefits, pushing for permanent contracts between employers and
employees, demanding that the state supports social insurance, oversight of the
transportation sector, a sector that has undergone complete privatization, can
no longer be avoided. There is also a need for oversight in the activities and
behavior of our police and security forces within the Ministry of Roads &
Transportation. If the union demands that are
based on our labor laws are adhere to we will not only avoid endangering
our national security, but will also ensure further productivity, growth and
economic expansion on a national level.
The only crime committed by myself and those who behaved as I did was bringing
such matters to the forefront and discussing the challenges facing workers with
our hardworking peers and a number of fleet managers sympathetic to the
industry, our people and our country at large.
Having made my case public, I
therefore ask the International Workers’ Transport Federation (ITF) and the
International Labor Organization (ILO) to support the plight of their suffering
colleagues in Iran, ensuring that their voices are heard across the globe. I
ask that take our case be brought to the attention of international human
rights organizations, demanding that they investigate the unacceptable
condition of workers in the Iran’s transportation sector, including the
issuance of unjust and illegal sentences imposed on workers such as myself. Let
us create awareness amongst the workers across the globe and in particular the
transportation sector so that the world at large becomes cognizant of the fact
that the basic rights of hard working laborers in Iran continues to be utterly
neglected and the slightest objection on our part toward such injustices has
only resulted in imprisonment and torture and the persecution of ourselves and
our family members.
With hope for a better future for
all…
Afshin Osanlou
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