The following is a statement published on the Haft Tappeh Sugar Cane Company workers’ independent Telegram channel on June 18th 2021, the day of the Iranian regime’s election.
Sham election and Haft Tappeh’s economic-political-security siege and sanctions
While the Iranian government considers the poverty and misery of the people as the product of Western sanctions, the same government has completely sanctioned Haft Tappeh. Haft Tappeh is now under complete siege. A special guard has been deployed, our workmates have been beaten up, our lawyer is being prosecuted, the company’s property is being looted, and all the authorities – from all three branches [of government] – have joined forces to dry up our fields.
Khuzestan’s dirty sponger-governor (Soleimani Dashtaki) who represents Rohani’s criminal government, the prosecutors of Khuzestan and Shush, the members of parliament who wanted to campaign for their elections from Haft Tappeh, but have now all disappeared; are all united in this situation. The inflow of water to irrigate the fields has reached a quarter (less than nine cubic metres instead of thirty-two cubic metres per second). All the officials know that this means the destruction of Haft Tappeh.
But why are they doing this? They want to take revenge on Haft Tappeh’s workers, who resisted the privatisation that was accepted by the whole system. They want to say that now that you have defeated us, we will hand over the scorched earth and will die. They say that they know that not delivering water to sugar cane farms during a crop period means the destruction of the whole company for several years, but they deliberately do this to strike a blow at Haft Tappeh’s workers. They do this so that they can, for example, still show the company as a loss-maker and have an excuse for their next president to transfer the company to another private sector [boss].
We have said many times that Raisi is just like Rohani and we will not allow him to privatise the company again. We have said many times that there is no such thing as a good or bad private sector. Privatisation in any form is a crime, devastation and more poverty and misery for the workers.
We warn their next president that by drying up the farms you cannot concoct the excuse for re-privatisation.
Haft Tappeh’s workers will not allow re-privatisation in any way.
We will break this economic-political-security siege that you have imposed on Haft Tappeh.
We will break this government embargo against the workers of Haft Tappeh.
The workers of Haft Tappeh will not allow you to continue this economic siege and crime and drying up [of the fields].
Restore Haft Tappeh’s right to 32 cubic metres of water!
We are publishing this piece on the day of your election charade to say that your election is not important to us. We will even pursue our demands on the same day as your show. Let your next president know that from now on Haft Tappeh is the world’s strike capital and no power can bring it to its knees.
A group of Haft Tappeh workers from various departments
Friday, 18 June 2021
Published by: Haft Tappeh Workers’ Independent Channel
Translation: Shahrokh Zamani Action Campaign
Shahrokh Zamani Action Campaign 