Iran Labour Confederation – Abroad , in a letter addressed to international trade unions and labour organisations on the occasion of May Day 2026, warned of the critical situation facing workers in Iran and called for broader global solidarity with them. The letter stresses that Iran’s working class is simultaneously facing economic exploitation, poverty, political repression, war, and military attacks on industrial and productive infrastructure.

According to the Confederation, attacks on energy and production facilities in recent weeks and months have placed the lives of thousands of workers in direct danger. Under these conditions, the organisation says it has issued calls for workers to leave high-risk workplaces and to prioritise the preservation of workers’ lives. However, widespread internet shutdowns, communication restrictions, the absence of freedom to organise inside the country, and direct pressure from employers and state institutions to continue work even under serious danger have limited the impact of these calls.

In another section of the letter, Iran Labour Confederation – Abroad refers to the sharp escalation of domestic repression, the rise in executions, and the bloody suppression of the January 2026 protests, describing these as part of the Islamic Republic’s systematic policy of intimidation aimed at preventing protest and independent labour organising. The organisation also states that Pezhvak-e Kar Iran, the Confederation’s news outlet, has launched the “Registry for Justice for Fallen Members of the Labour Force,” which has so far recorded the names of around 500 workers and wage earners killed in the January 2026 massacre. The Confederation maintains, however, that the real scale of the tragedy is far greater than the figures currently available.

The Confederation concludes by calling on trade unions and labour institutions around the world to exert pressure on the Islamic Republic over the repression of workers, the execution of political prisoners, and the killing of protesters; to insist on the right to independent organising and the implementation of fundamental international labour conventions; and to place the situation of workers in Iran more seriously on the agenda of the global labour movement.

Letter from the Iran Labor Confederation – Abroad to international labor unions and organizations

Dear comrades,​
Trade unions and labour organizations across the world,

On the eve of May Day, the international day of working-class solidarity, we, on behalf of the Iran Labour Confederation – Abroad, extend our warmest greetings and deepest appreciation for the support and solidarity you have shown toward the workers of Iran. At a time when Iranian workers are facing exceptional pressures, this solidarity carries particular importance.

Today, the Iranian working class is confronted with a set of intertwined crises: decades of exploitation, poverty, and repression under the rule of the Islamic Republic, followed by the escalation of war and military attacks that have directly targeted productive infrastructure and workers’ workplaces. These conditions have
simultaneously placed workers’ livelihoods, safety, and lives under threat.

In recent weeks and months, widespread attacks on energy, industrial, and production facilities have placed thousands of workers in direct danger. Under these circumstances, we have issued calls for workers to leave high-risk workplaces and to prioritize the preservation of their lives.

However, due to the impossibility of free activity inside the country, the extensive shutdown of the internet, limited communication with large sections of the workforce, and direct pressure from employers and state institutions to continue work even under conditions of serious danger, these calls have been able to have
an impact only in certain sectors and have faced major obstacles in many others.

At the same time, domestic repression has intensified to an unprecedented degree. The Islamic Republic, through a dramatic increase in executions, especially of political prisoners on fabricated charges, is attempting to impose an atmosphere of fear and terror across society and to destroy any possibility of protest and organization. This systematic policy of intimidation, alongside mass arrests and widespread repression, forms part of the survival strategy of a regime that seeks its answer to the crisis in the escalation of violence.

Meanwhile, the mass protests of January 2026, marked by the strong participation of workers and the dispossessed, were turned into a human catastrophe through bloody repression and a complete internet shutdown.

As part of the effort to document these crimes, Pezhvak-e Kar-e Iran (Iran Labor News, the news outlet of the ILC – iranlabor.news) has launched the Register for Justice for Fallen Workers. So far, approximately 500 workers and wage-earners killed in the January 2026 massacre have been recorded in this register. However, because of repression, communication blackouts, and the security climate, the
true scale of this tragedy, which extends far beyond these figures, has not yet been fully documented.

Comrades,

Under these conditions, we ask you to pay special attention to the situation of Iranian workers at this critical juncture, and to:

• exert pressure in international forums to condemn the Islamic Republic for the systematic repression of workers, the execution of political prisoners, and the massacre of protesters;
• insist on the implementation of fundamental international labour conventions, especially regarding the right to independent organization and the freedom of labour activity in Iran;
• support the efforts and initiatives aimed at the independent organization of Iranian workers;
• place the situation of Iranian workers more seriously on the agenda of trade unions and international labour institutions.

We believe that international solidarity can play an effective role in strengthening the struggles of Iranian workers, especially under conditions in which their voices inside the country are met with repression and censorship.

May Day is the symbol of the shared struggle of workers across the world. We hope that, on this day, attention to and support for the workers of Iran will be placed more seriously on the agenda of the international labour movement.

With respect and solidarity,​
Iran Labour Confederation – Abroad​
May Day 2026