Second day of Teachers’ National Strike receives popular support in Iran

On 15th October 2018, teachers in Iran held their second day of a national strike. The Coordination Council of Teachers’ Association called on teachers to not teach classes in objection to inflation, high expenses and an unprecedented decline of purchasing power

Teachers went on strike and in their sit-ins held placards with their demands. The second day saw the strike expand to more than 54 cities in different provinces.

Teachers held placards that reflected their demands including:·

• Free education for all
• Release of all imprisoned teachers
• An end to the privatisation of schools
• An end to the commercialisation of education
• Raising wages above the poverty line
• Free healthcare for all
• Right to assembly
• Right to organise

The Coordination Council of Teachers’ Association also stressed these points as well as the violation of the right to free pubic education, imprisonment of teachers, unsafe schools, discrimination in the education system and embezzlement from teachers’ funds and pensions.

One of the main demands of teachers in Iran is the release of their colleagues:

• Esmail Abdi
• Mohammad Habibi
• Mahmood Beheshti
• Rouhollah Mardani

The teachers’ strike has received lots of support from society. Many popular online groups have supported the strike and the teachers’ demands.

Several workers’ organisations including “Etehadieh Azad e Kargaran” (Free Workers Union Of Iran) and “Sandicaye Neishekar e Haftabeh” (Sugarcane Union of Haftapeh) havesent warm messages of support and solidarity for the striking teachers.

On 14th October, on the first day of the strike, Mohammadreza Ramazanzadeh, director of the Strike Coordination Council was arrested and the regime’s “cyber army” tried to sabotage the teachers’ Telegram group. Despite these typical attempts from the authorities toderail the strike, the teachers held a very successful strike that attracted society’s attention and gained the support of many in Iran.

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