Working Class and the Political Power

The following resolution was unanimously adopted at the first congress of the WPI-Hekmatist held on October 21-22, 2006

The current endemic political and economic crisis; the widespread opposition against the Islamic Republic and the prospect of its downfall or disintegration have placed the question of the political future of Iran before the working class. This is an historic opportunity for the working class to lead the movements for equality, for freedom and for a modern society in a bid to overthrow the Islamic Republic and thus win the trust and confidence of the disenchanted masses and the freedom seeking sections of the society for a socialist revolution.

The Worker-communist Party of Iran – Hekmatist calls on the workers, members and activists of the Party and all the labour leaders and communist activists to do their utmost to remove all the barriers preventing the emergence of the working class as a force capable of attempting at the political power and rising up to lead the entire population in their struggle to shake off the menace of the Islamic Republic and create a free, equal and humane society and lay the foundation of a socialist society.

Since:

• The unprecedented destitution, mass unemployment and widespread redundancies have instilled divisions between employed and unemployed workers, indigence and migrant workers and have turned job security into the main preoccupation of the workers. This situation has created a sense of wariness amongst the working class deterring them from raising radical demands to improve the living standard of all workers and intervene in the political events in the country.
• Despite the fact that the current workers’ disputes are part and parcel of the general opposition to the regime, nevertheless these disputes are limited in their scope and confined to sectors threatened with redundancies and closures or aimed at settling outstanding unpaid wages and have not enjoyed the active support of employed workers. Furthermore these disputes are disjointed and can not provide a serious platform for initiating an effective campaign to improve the working conditions let alone a basis for a united class action.
• Despite the increasing use of General Assemblies as a means of mobilisation of workers, General Assemblies have not yet been established as a routine and permanent form of self-organisation amongst the workers and the workers still lack their real organisations and the organs of direct intervention.
• The Islamic Republic has adopted a policy of shunning away from direct confrontation with the workers and has resorted to a policy of time wasting and wearying out the workers and making full use of its security forces to intimidate, arrest and expel labour leaders and the communist activists. Furthermore the regime through its official Islamic councils in work places and the Labour House [an official national institution for arbitration and supposedly promotion of workers, rights - KOMONIST] is constantly engaged in undermining the demands and the grievances that have the potential of spreading to other centres and sectors and tries to contain them.
• And more importantly, since under the above conditions and in the absence of a political and organisational cohesion amongst the labour activists and labour leaders around a communist platform, the dominant tendency within the working class in the present situation remains on one hand one of total hatred towards the regime and on the other hand a state of wait and see and the lack of appetite for participation in the political affairs and organised intervention in the daily protest movements in the country.

Therefore:

1. The first congress of the Worker-communist Party of Iran – Hekmatist draws the attention of the workers to the current crucial historical conditions and the need for an organised and united presence in the political arena; intervening in all social issues and raising their demands for improving the living conditions of all workers and take the initiative and lead the struggles against destitution, the autocratic rule, suppression, gender discrimination and for the overthrow of the Islamic Republic. The WPI- Hekmatist believes that a rare historic opportunity has been presented to the working class to seize the political power and implement freedom, equality and the workers’ rule in Iran. The workers must immediately assume their role as the leader of the current mass movements aimed overthrowing the Islamic Regime.
2. The WPI-Hekmatist invites all the militant workers to join its ranks. The WPI-Hekmatist is the pole bearer of the class unity and is the advocate of the independent presence of the working class in the current epoch making times in Iran.
3. The WPI-H once again re-emphasises the importance of embarking on an extensive and comprehensive initiative to organise General Assemblies in all workplaces and enterprises. In the absence of established and effective workers’ councils; in the absence of any powerful and established mass organisations, the General Assemblies i.e. the planned and conscious gathering of the workers for collective decision making and providing leadership in disputes is the key to the advancement of workers economic demands and the mass protest movements. The General Assemblies are the most effective, reliable and continuous means of organising mass actions in times of oppression.
4. The Party calls on all communist activists to pursue the followings as priorities:
   • Fight against destitutions – workers unity against unemployment Unemployment is the main cause of poverty amongst the working class. Unemployment is not just a problem for the unemployed workers. It is a constant threat hanging over the heads of employed workers and their families as well. Workers unity against unemployment is an effective measure in containing the power of the capitalists over the lives of the workers which could be done through raising the simple and straight forward demand for sufficient unemployment benefit for all individuals over the age of 16. Furthermore a consorted effort by the employed workers and specially those in the key industries for increase in the real level of wages and unemployment benefit and also attempts to unite the ranks of employed and unemployed workers, indigenous and migrant workers, and the unconditional defence of the citizenship rights of all migrant workers as well as active support for workers facing redundancies and those engaged in fight to secure the unpaid wages are the main elements of this call.
   • Movement for organising General Assemblies It is of vital importance that, in order to turn the General Assemblies (GA) into the direct organs of workers’ intervention, they are held regularly and routinely; decision making processes take place in the assemblies and the workers’ representatives are elected and answerable to the assemblies. It is also imperative that the activists of the GA movement and in particular the elected representatives of each work place establish links with other GA s in a district or amongst workers in the same area of trade and pave the way for forging solidarity and unity and instigating wider trade and regional actions.
   • Struggle to disband the Islamic labour councils Make attempts to stop the Islamic workers councils and the Labour House from interfering in labour disputes. Combating the claims of these state apparatuses to be representing the workers, both at local level and internationally. Oppose the setting up of these organs and boycott any “elections” to these organs; actively demand the dissolution of the Islamic councils and other Islamic associations as agents of the government and actively endeavour to expel them from workplaces
   • Direct intervention in political conflicts The workers’ struggles for economic demands in capitalist societies take on an inherently political nature. In Iran, in the current political environment, the economic struggles of the workers become more crucial and prominent. Every dispute over pay and conditions will escalate into a battle over the survival of the Islamic regime. This is not sufficient. Under the current circumstances the workers need to consciously get involve in the political conflicts. Demands such as the freedom of all political prisoners; freedom to strike and to organise; freedom of association and organisation; freedom of expression and the media; equality between women and men; banning veil and the separation of religion from the state should all be incorporated into workers demands and struggles. The political disputes and the women, students and other urban unrests are all arenas that the workers must actively intervene and they offer the working class an ample opportunity to elevate themselves to become the leader of the oppressed and all those striving for freedom.
   • Active intervention to prevent the disintegration and the Iraqization of the society The disintegration of the fabric of social life and the Iraqization of the society as a result of the conflicts amongst various factions of the bourgeoisie is increasingly becoming a frightening prospect. Different factions of the bourgeoisie from the US to various Islamic gangs inside and outside the Islamic Republic and tribal and nationalists forces of Persian, Kurds, Turks, Baloochis and Arabs not only have no trouble of creating a situation worse than Iraq but seek their own interest in creating such a situation. Fanning the religious and ethnic sentiments amongst the workers is an essential element of their strategy. The main force capable of putting up a barrier to this tragedy is the working class. The WPI-Hekmatist calls on all labour leaders and the communist activists to expose the nationalist and tribal forces and stop the propagation of national and religious identities amongst the workers. At the same time while fighting against the delusion towards the US and the right wing political groups and they need to redouble their efforts to topple the Islamic Republic. The labour leaders and the communist activists must prepare the working class to exercise their organised and direct power in work places and the neighbourhoods and thus contain and suppress those forces bent on bringing about chaos and carnage. A precondition of avoiding such a scenario unfolding is the organised power of the working class.
   • The Expansion of the Party organisation in work places and neighbourhoods The key to carry out all the above is the existence of a disciplined and organised ranks of the best and most active labour leaders and the communist activists on a national level. The WPI-Hekmatist calls on all radical and militant workers to join the ranks of the Party and build local branches and embark on mass recruitment in neighbourhoods and work places and strengthen their political and organisational links with the Party. This is a Party committed to fighting for “Freedom, Equality and Workers’ Rule” and lay the foundation of a new society.