According to reports received from Iran Khodro activists, during the past few weeks the management of Iran Khodro has sacked over 50 of the workers who had struck on 8 March 2006 over bonuses. The workers had gone on strike because in a year of record-breaking production the bonuses were going to be lower than the previous year's.
The strike demanding bigger bonuses, which had mainly included the 'shuttle' and 'RD' body-shop halls, was beginning to spread to the whole factory when the company's top management became involved and tried to end it. They promised the workers that there had been a mistake and the problem would be resolved soon. So the workers returned to work.
In return the management took absolutely no steps whatsoever and even started saying that any news published about a strike were completely false and gave Kar-o Kargar daily (Labour and Labourer) an ultimatum. It announced that Kar-o Kargar must retract its report otherwise Iran Khodro's management will lodge a complaint against the paper for publishing falsehoods.
Now the management has regained the initiative and has begun to identify the dissident workers and during the past few weeks, under various pretexts, it has sacked protesting workers. It wants to purge the dissident workers in order to cut all workers' bonuses.
Iranian Workers' Solidarity Network
14 May 2006