The letter from Iran Labour Confederation – Abroad is a message of thanks and political appeal addressed to trade unions and labour organisations around the world. It expresses appreciation for their statements in support of Iranian workers and civilians, and for their opposition to the war and the dangers it poses to ordinary people.

ILC’s letter stresses that, in the current conditions of military escalation and instability, international labour solidarity carries both political importance and moral weight for workers inside Iran.

It also raises urgent concerns about the growing risk faced by workers in key industrial sectors, especially oil, gas, petrochemical, port, and power facilities, as threats against vital infrastructure increase. The letter explains that the Confederation called on workers in potentially targeted workplaces to leave unsafe environments in order to protect their lives, and notes that some workers have already acted on this warning.

At the same time, it highlights the severe impact of Iran’s widespread internet shutdown, which has made communication with workers far more difficult.

Politically, ILC’s letter makes clear that this is not the war of Iranian workers or the Iranian people. It describes the Islamic Republic as an illegitimate regime that has endangered society through repression and destructive policies, while also insisting that genuine and lasting change cannot come through foreign military intervention.

Instead, it argues that change must come through the organised struggle of the people and the working class themselves. The letter ends by calling on trade unions worldwide to keep speaking out, defend workers’ right to refuse unsafe work, and push for free internet access in Iran.

Dear friends and comrades in trade unions and labour organisations across the world,

Iran Labour Confederation – Abroad wishes to express its sincere appreciation for your positions and statements in support of Iranian workers and the people of Iran, as well as for your opposition to the conditions of war. At a time when the people of Iran are confronting serious dangers arising from war and instability, the solidarity expressed by the global labour movement is of immense importance and encouragement to us and to workers inside Iran.

In recent days, as military confrontation has intensified, the danger of attacks on vital and industrial infrastructure in Iran has grown. In particular, following the direct threat made by the President of the United States to target Iran’s oil facilities, including those on Kharg Island, which has a civilian population of more than 8,000 people, as well as the large-scale military strikes carried out in this region, serious concern has arisen regarding the safety of workers in the country’s industrial and energy sectors. Such actions directly place the lives of thousands of workers employed in the oil, gas, petrochemical, port, power generation, and other industrial sectors at risk.

In response to this situation, on the very first day of the war, while internet access had not yet been completely shut down, the ILC issued a public call aimed at protecting workers’ lives. We urged workers employed in industrial and workplace settings that might be exposed to military attack, where they judged there to be danger, to refrain from remaining at work and to leave their workplaces in order to safeguard their lives.

The feedback we have received indicates that these calls have, to some extent, been heeded by workers. In a number of industrial projects, particularly in parts of the oil sector and in temporary and subcontracted projects, workers have left their worksites. Likewise, in some workplaces that continue to operate, the level of activity and working capacity has been reduced. These actions reflect workers’ efforts to protect their lives in circumstances where the dangers of war have increased dramatically.

At the same time, one of the greatest obstacles to informing and communicating with workers inside Iran is the widespread internet shutdown. This measure has effectively disrupted our direct contact with a large part of the working class and has made the rapid transmission of warnings and public appeals extremely difficult. We are striving to deliver these messages to workers through alternative media, including radio, satellite television, and the limited communication networks that still remain. Yet this route is severely restricted and exceedingly difficult.

We wish to emphasise that this is not the war of Iranian workers or the people of Iran. It is the product of rivalries, power politics, and conflicts among states and governments. The Islamic Republic is an illegitimate regime that, over decades, has endangered the lives and future of the people of Iran through repression, warmongering, and disastrous policies. Workers and a large part of Iranian society seek the end of this system. Nevertheless, we believe that real and lasting change can only be achieved through the organised power of the people and the working class, and through their collective social struggle, not through war and military intervention by states.

In such circumstances, the role and voice of the global labour movement are of particular importance. We call on trade unions and labour federations around the world to:

• continue raising the situation of Iranian workers and the people of Iran in your statements and public positions;
  
• highlight the dangers that war poses to the lives of workers and civilians;
  
• defend the right of workers to protect their lives in unsafe working environments; and
  
• intensify efforts and pressure to secure free and uncensored internet access for the people of Iran, since free access to information and communication in wartime can directly help save lives.
  

We attach the utmost importance to the solidarity of the global labour movement and to the conscience of people across the world. We believe that the active intervention of labour movements and freedom-loving forces on a global scale can exert meaningful pressure on governments not to treat the lives of people and workers as expendable in their power struggles and wars.

In closing, we once again thank you for your support and solidarity, and we hope that, in these difficult circumstances, we will be able, through reliance on the international solidarity of the working class, to defend the lives and safety of workers.

With respect and solidarity,
Iran Labour Confederation – Abroad
16 March 2026