Esmail Abidi, a union activist with the Iranian Teachers’ Trade Association, was arrested by the Iranian government on June 17, 2015.
His travel ban and subsequent arrest came after he sought permission to attend Education International’s world congress in Ottawa later this month. There have been recent actions calling for better working conditions for teachers in Iran.
Many teachers in the country earn poverty wages. It is common for trade unionists in Iran to be imprisoned and even tortured for their union activity. The Confederation of Canadian Unions calls on the Iranian government to immediately and unconditionally release Esmail Abdi.
We further call on the Iranian government to respect ILO standards on freedom of association and collective bargaining. We pledge our solidarity to our brothers and sisters in the Iranian trade union movement.