Making Cars in Iran: Working for Iran

international | worker & community struggles and protests | other press Wednesday May 30, 2007 14:22 by pat c - Hands off the People of Iran

This is an article about the war against the Working Class in Iran; a war which is waged by the Mullahs. In particular it tells the story of the challenges faced by the workers at one car manufacturing plant. The workers are in conflict with the Mullahs who represent the Capitalist System but this does not mean that they favour the US.

As Iranian union activist Ebrahim Madadi says: Our labour union does not regard anyone who propagates and prepares for war as its friends and allies. We reject strongly any military action against our country and warn the workers against the threat of war and the need to stop such aggression.

Making Cars in Iran: Working for Iran Khodro

David Mather, Yassamine Mather & Majid Tamjidi

This article examines work, employment relations and industrial conflict at Iran Khodro, Iran’s largest car plant. It pays particular attention to work intensification and the spread of contract work, which according to the workers have led to a rise in the number of fatal industrial accidents at the plant. These developments, we argue, are rooted in an alliance between the Islamic regime and its neo-liberal policies on the one hand, and the western multinational companies that have returned to Iran on the other. We also briefly examine workers’ resistance to these developments, which has taken place despite the absence of permanent workers’ organisations.

Full article at:
http://www.critiquejournal.net/carsiran.pdf

The article is published in Critique Vol. 35, No. 1, April 2007, pp. 9 - 21