To: Labour Unions Worldwide
On the evening of September 21, 2024, a methane gas explosion occurred in Blocks B and C of the Tabas coal mine in South Khorasan Province, tragically resulting in the deaths of at least 52 workers and injuries to several others. Despite providing 76% of the country’s coal, this mine—half owned by the Steel Workers’ Support and Retirement Fund Institute and the other half by a private holding—lacks basic safety standards and working conditions, as short-term profit has been prioritized over the lives and health of the workers.
This deadly incident is just one of ten similar tragedies that have occurred in Iranian mines since the beginning of the year, leading to the deaths of dozens of workers. In a similar accident on June 16, 2024, at the Shazand sand and gravel mine in Arak, four workers lost their lives, and after more than three months, one of their bodies has yet to be found.
In Iran, especially in the mining industries, not only are international standards such as ISO 45001, ICMM, and OHSAS ignored, but even domestic safety regulations are neglected. Workers are forced to risk their lives without proper safety equipment, gas detectors, ventilation, lighting, or even basic rescue tools.
In February 2023, the Islamic Republic of Iran signed ILO Convention No. 155 at the 176th session of the High Council for the Protection of Labor. This convention obliges Iran to adhere to safety standards in the workplace and create suitable conditions to protect the lives and health of its workforce. However, the harsh reality is that these commitments have not been implemented and, in many cases, have been entirely disregarded.
We, at the ILC, believe that the ILO’s monitoring system for enforcing these conventions, especially regarding Iran, is ineffective and in need of serious reform. The failure to address the numerous complaints filed against the Islamic Republic in the ILO is evidence of this.
Despite annual reports and complaints from international labor unions concerning the dire situation of Iranian workers and the violation of their basic rights, the ILO and its members have turned a blind eye to these harsh realities. This silence and appeasement of the Islamic Republic’s representatives in the ILO have further deteriorated the situation for workers in Iran.
Iran Labour Confederation – Abroad calls on all our colleagues in global labor unions to pay closer attention to the violation of Iranian workers’ human rights. We demand the formation of an international investigative committee composed of representatives from labor unions and organizations, in cooperation with the UN Human Rights Council. This committee should urgently conduct field visits to Iran, engage with workers and labor activists, and uncover the true scope of this crisis.
Additionally, we urge our colleagues in unions worldwide to express their protest against the Islamic Republic and work towards increasing pressure on this regime for its violations of workers’ rights. We call for the expulsion of the Islamic Republic from the ILO’s governing body and the non-recognition of its labor delegation. Instead, representatives from independent labor organizations in Iran should be recognized and engaged in dialogue.
Iran Labour Confederation – Abroad
September 23, 2024
