The Italian Labor Union (UIL), one of Italy’s three largest trade unions with over two million members, has issued a strong statement of solidarity with the workers of Iran on the occasion of International Workers’ Day. The declaration, released on April 29, 2025, comes from UIL’s Marche provincial branch and highlights the systemic denial of workers’ rights under both the Shah’s monarchy and the clerical regime.
Founded in 1950, UIL is affiliated with the European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC) and the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC). In its statement, UIL condemned Iran’s ongoing violations of International Labour Organization (ILO) conventions, noting that despite being an ILO member and signatory to various agreements, Iran’s government has failed to implement basic labor protections. “There is no law or protective framework to defend the minimum rights of workers in Iran,” the union declared.
The statement outlines a grim reality for Iranian workers:
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Job insecurity is rampant, with 94% of workers employed on temporary contracts and 95% lacking formal employment agreements, leaving them vulnerable to arbitrary dismissal without compensation or benefits.
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Independent labor unions are banned, replaced by government-controlled “Islamic Labor Councils” that do not represent workers’ interests.
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Minimum wages fall far below the cost of living, with the regime setting wages at less than a third of the basic household expenses, pushing millions of workers into poverty.
#Australian Unions and Civil Society Groups Back Iranian Workers on #InternationalWorkersDay https://t.co/e5lSmO0XXQ
— NCRI-FAC (@iran_policy) April 30, 2025
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Workplace safety is neglected, resulting in “an average of 40 workers killed every week in workplace accidents,” according to official reports cited by the union. The statement also pointed to unreported fatalities in Iran’s mines due to a lack of safety equipment.
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Women workers face worsening conditions, with female employment plummeting and women subjected to persistent discrimination and violations of their workplace rights.
UIL’s statement situates these abuses in a broader context of systemic oppression under successive authoritarian regimes. “Iran’s workers have long been oppressed—first under the dictatorship of the Shah and now under the fundamentalist dictatorship of the mullahs,” the union wrote. It emphasized that Iranian workers today face “urgent and dire conditions” and called for immediate international action.
On September 24, amid nationwide unrest, South Pars oil workers in Bushehr and Tazareh miners in Semnan protested unsafe conditions and delayed wages. Literacy teachers in #Tehran and defrauded citizens in Qazvin also rallied for job security and compensation. pic.twitter.com/Dnyzf8pvtA
— NCRI-FAC (@iran_policy) September 24, 2024
The union urged global trade unions, labor organizations, and international institutions to stand with Iran’s workers and called on the ILO to place the Iranian regime on its “blacklist” as a violator of labor rights. “Iranian workers desperately need international solidarity to secure even the minimum recognized rights that workers enjoy in other countries,” UIL stressed.
The statement also highlighted the need for coordinated pressure to compel the Iranian regime to honor its obligations under international labor standards. “Without such pressure, Iran’s workers will continue to suffer under a system that denies them safety, dignity, and basic human rights,” the union warned.
UIL’s public endorsement marks a significant show of support from European labor movements for Iranian workers, adding to growing international calls for accountability and reform inside Iran.