On the occasion of May Day 2025, Iran Labour Confederation – Abroad has sent an open letter to global trade unions, warning about the “disastrous” situation of workers in Iran. The confederation highlighted shocking statistics and recent workplace accidents, calling for urgent international action.

In the letter, published on April 28, 2025, ILC states that more than 3,826 workers lost their lives in workplace accidents between 2021 and 2022 (Iranian calendar years 1400-1401). According to the confederation, this number, although based on official reports, does not show the full scale of the tragedy. They argue that the Iranian government has a long history of hiding the real numbers and censoring critical information.

The letter also points to a major disaster at Bandar Rajaee Port in Bandar Abbas on April 25, 2025, where a massive explosion reportedly killed dozens and injured hundreds. The confederation says this tragedy once again exposed the authorities’ “complete disregard for workers’ lives.” Whether the explosion was caused by poor safety measures, military conflicts, sabotage, or terrorism, the letter says, it is always innocent workers who pay the price.

Another example mentioned is the Tabas coal mine explosion in September 2024 , which killed 52 miners. According to the ILC, poor ventilation, outdated machinery, and management negligence led to this deadly accident.

In their message, ILC called for specific actions from international trade unions:

• Filing formal complaints against the Iranian regime at international organizations such as the International Labour Organization (ILO),
• Pushing for the removal of Iranian regime representatives from international labour bodies,
• Creating an independent investigation committee to study the real conditions of workers in Iran,
• Supporting Iranian workers in their struggle to form independent unions.

The confederation described the Islamic Republic of Iran as an “illegitimate regime” that rules through “repression, corruption, and violence.” They said that official Iranian representatives at the ILO and other international organizations do not truly represent Iranian workers and should not be recognized.

The letter ends by urging global trade unions to show solidarity with Iranian workers during May Day marches and events by raising banners or issuing statements. “Every day of delay,” the confederation warns, “means more workers will lose their lives.”

Letter from the ILC to Labor Unions Worldwide

Dear colleagues,

Before all else, we extend our heartfelt congratulations to you and to workers across the world on the occasion of May Day.

On this occasion, Iran Labour Confederation – Abroad once again considers it its duty to inform you of the catastrophic conditions faced by workers in Iran, just as we have raised this cry for justice in the past. International Workers’ Day, a symbol of the struggle for workers’ rights and human dignity, is an opportunity to once more amplify the voice of Iranian workers to the world—workers who are not only deprived of the most basic rights to livelihood and welfare but whose very lives are recklessly endangered in workplaces that have become death traps. With hearts heavy with pain and anger, we call upon you to stand in solidarity with Iran’s working class and to resist the oppression and crimes committed by the illegitimate Islamic Republic against these honorable individuals.

A harrowing report released by the Research Center of the Iranian regime’s parliament on April 9, 2025, reveals just a glimpse of a far greater catastrophe. According to the report, between 2021 and 2023 (1400–1401 in the Iranian calendar), 3,826 workers lost their lives in workplace accidents—meaning that, on average, more than five workers per day fell victim to the deadly conditions of their workplaces during these two years. However, even these figures, produced by state-affiliated institutions, are far from credible.

The Iranian regime has a long-standing record of censoring information, covering up actual figures, and delaying the release of sensitive data, seeking to conceal the true scale of its crimes. At the ILC, we believe that the real number of casualties far exceeds the official figures. Nevertheless, even the reported statistics stand as undeniable evidence of a vast tragedy—one that reveals how workplaces in Iran have been transformed into death traps for workers.

In the latest tragedy, the massive explosion at Rajaee Port in Bandar Abbas on April 26, 2025, once again exposed the regime’s utter disregard for the lives of workers and staff. At the time of writing, reports indicate dozens of deaths and hundreds of injuries, with local sources confirming that a significant number of the victims are among the port’s workers and employees. These workers, who labor in perilous conditions simply to earn a living, have once again paid the price for the regime’s negligence. The limited firsthand accounts from those present or working at the site reveal the horrifying scale of the disaster. Whether the explosion was the result of negligence in adhering to safety standards or the consequence of international crises, military actions, sabotage, or acts of terrorism—whether perpetrated by external actors or forces within the regime itself—one fact remains clear: it is the innocent workers and civilians who suffer the consequences of the regime’s criminal policies.

Workers in Iran are losing their lives under conditions where they are not only deprived of basic welfare and livelihood, but where every attempt to improve their situation is met with brutal repression. Mines, factories, and workshops across the country lack even the most rudimentary safety standards. Workers are forced into dangerous environments without adequate protective equipment, subjected to what amounts to compulsory labor. The report from the Research Center identifies factors such as the deterioration of safety equipment, outdated and non-mechanized extraction methods, and the increasing depth of mining operations as causes of these deaths. However, these explanations barely scratch the surface. The true roots of these tragedies lie in systemic corruption, the profiteering of employers, and the regime’s deliberate disregard for workers’ lives—a regime that plunders Iran’s vast mineral wealth while leaving its laborers defenseless in the face of death.

These tragedies are not limited to deaths in the workplace. Iranian workers are deprived of even the most basic human rights. Miserable wages, the absence of insurance and social protections, and inhumane working conditions have turned their lives into a living hell. Workers—especially women, who face the compounded burden of gender discrimination, unfair wages, and additional social pressures—are denied not only welfare but even their right to life itself. The catastrophic explosion at the Madanjoyi coal mine in Tabas on September 21, 2024, which claimed the lives of 52 workers and injured more than 20 others, is only one link in this chain of crimes. This disaster, one of the deadliest mining accidents in Iran in recent decades, was the direct result of the lack of ventilation systems, the absence of gas detection equipment, and the regime’s disregard for workers’ warnings. It was only one among at least ten similar incidents during 2024; for example, on June 16, 2024, four workers lost their lives at the Shazand Arak sand and gravel mine—and nearly a year later, the body of one of the victims has yet to be recovered.

One of the greatest obstacles to improving this situation is the absence of independent workers’ organizations in Iran. Iranian workers are denied their fundamental right to organize and defend their rights. The core conventions of ILO—including Convention No. 87 (Freedom of Association and Protection of the Right to Organize) and Convention No. 98 (Right to Organize and Collective Bargaining)—explicitly affirm the right of workers to form independent organizations, obligations that the Iranian regime is bound to uphold. Yet the regime not only violates these principles but responds to every attempt at creating independent unions with brutal repression. As a result, it is impossible to gather independent data on the condition of workers or to undertake any organized, autonomous effort to improve their situation. Any labor movement that dares to challenge this exploitation faces arrest, beatings, imprisonment, and even flogging.

The 2024 annual report of ILC shows that, during that year, workers organized 2,396 protest gatherings and 169 strikes across various sectors. Yet how were these protests met? With systematic and brutal repression. The regime not only ignores the legitimate demands of workers but silences every voice of justice with violence. This relentless crackdown has deprived workers of any possibility for organizing and has left them defenseless in the face of these deadly catastrophes.

By signing ILO Convention No. 155 in February 2023, the Islamic Republic had pledged to uphold workplace safety standards. Yet these commitments have amounted to nothing more than empty promises aimed at deceiving the international community. Not only are international standards routinely ignored, but even the regime’s own internal safety regulations are disregarded. The ILO’s supervisory mechanisms for monitoring compliance with these conventions—particularly in the case of Iran—have proven ineffective and are in urgent need of serious reform. Despite numerous complaints filed against the regime at the ILO, the organization and its member states have largely turned a blind eye to these crimes. This silence and complicity with the regime’s representatives at the ILO have only worsened the plight of Iranian workers.

ILC does not view these 3,826 deaths as “accidents,” but as deliberate acts of social murder—crimes for which the perpetrators, from regime officials to profiteering employers, must be held accountable. Yet the regime not only refuses to answer for these crimes but seeks to fabricate a false image of itself through its participation in institutions like the International Labour Organization. We state unequivocally that the Islamic Republic neither represents Iranian society nor possesses any legal or popular legitimacy to speak on its behalf. This regime has seized and maintained power through repression, fraud, and violence, and it has no connection to the will or aspirations of the Iranian people. Likewise, the so-called representatives the regime sends to the ILO and other international bodies have no relation whatsoever to Iranian workers. These individuals are not the voice of the workers; they are tools used by the regime to legitimize its crimes. Their presence constitutes a direct insult to Iranian workers and to all workers around the world who struggle for their human rights.

We call upon you, our esteemed colleagues in trade unions around the world, with the following specific demands:

• Filing formal complaints against the regime: Use this report as documentation to file official complaints against the Islamic Republic in international organizations, particularly ILO.
• Exerting pressure for the regime’s expulsion: Through widespread and coordinated protests, exert pressure to expel the regime’s representatives from the ILO Governing Body and other international institutions. Our ultimate goal is the complete expulsion of this illegitimate regime from all international bodies, as a regime that sends workers to their deaths has no place in global institutions. Instead, representatives of Iran’s independent labor organizations should be recognized and supported.
• Establishing an international fact-finding committee: In collaboration with the United Nations Human Rights Council and representatives of global trade unions, form a committee to conduct on-the-ground investigations into the condition of Iranian workers and to uncover the full extent of these human tragedies.
• Supporting Iranian workers: Offer practical and moral support to Iranian workers to help them organize independent unions and fight for their right to life and human dignity.

Our goal is a serious and relentless struggle against the criminal Islamic Republic—a regime whose repressive and corrupt policies have driven Iranian workers to the brink of destruction. Iranian workers must not be left to face this injustice alone; they need your solidarity. We urge you to raise the flag of solidarity with Iranian workers or issue public statements in their support during the International Workers’ Day marches and rallies organized by your unions. Make the voices of Iranian workers heard around the world. Every day of delay means more workers’ lives lost. The lives of Iranian workers are precious and must not be sacrificed to the regime’s brutal policies and corruption.

Iran Labour Confederation – Abroad

May 1, 2025