Labor Notes: How has the Iranian labor movement fared under the Ahmadinejad regime?*
HP: This has been the most anti-labor government of the Islamic Republic over the last 30 years. The 1979 revolution was not regressive in every sense; it nationalized 70 percent of the economy and passed a labor law that was one of the best in terms of limiting the firing of workers. This is a target for change by capitalists, both private and those in the government bureaucracy.
The economic crisis has helped Ahmadinejad ram thru a new agenda. This is also aided by the acceleration of the percentage (60 percent to 70 percent) of the workforce who are temporary contract workers. Iran, like other countries, has had an import mania. Bargaining power has suffered, with labor supply far outstripping demand.
The Ahmadinejad government has been “bailing out” firms, but the government is running out of money.
The situation for labor is at its lowest status since the start of the 20th century, leaving out the years of the two world wars. Read the rest of this entry »
President Barack Obama, at his press conference after the end of the G8 Summit in L’Aquila, Italy, focused on the environment, global economy, and international security. As for Iran, he reiterated the deep concern of the international community over the extreme violence against demonstrations and stated that the door for negotiation is open to Tehran until September, when the G20 Summit will be held in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, in the US.
THE PRESIDENT: Thank you. Please, everybody have a seat. I apologize for being a little bit late. Good afternoon.
We have just concluded the final session of what has been a highly productive summit here in L’Aquila. And before I discuss what we’ve achieved these past three days, I’d like to take a moment to express my thanks to Prime Minister Berlusconi, his staff, the people of Italy for their extraordinary hospitality and hard work in setting up this summit. And particularly I want to thank the people of L’Aquila for welcoming us to your home at this difficult time. We’ve seen how you’ve come together and taken care of each other, and we’ve been moved by your courage and your resilience and your kindness. Read the rest of this entry »
On our partner site Libertas, Ali Yenidunya has posted a provocative blog on the possibility of international economic institutions such as The World Bank stepping up as “good guys” in the alleviation of poverty in the current global crisis.
- In 2008 more than 50 million people, most of whom are children and women, fell under the threshold of extreme poverty, measured as earnings of $1.25 a day.
- Most of the United Nations Millennium Development Goals could not be met because of the economic crisis.
- In 2009, between 55 and 90 million more people will fall into extreme poverty. The number of those suffering chronic hunger will pass 1 billion.
Enduring America’s Ali Yenidunya has dropped in on our partner website, Libertas, with a guest blog on the Israeli Government’s new strategy on Palestine. His prediction? Prime Minister Netanyahu, trying to block a “two-state” resolution, is only making trouble for himself with an economics-first approach:
A month ago, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu opened a conference in Jerusalem. In contrast to other high-profile meetings such as that last week with US envoy George Mitchell and in May or June with President Obama, this was a quiet affair. However, the Jerusalem Wealth Management Conference, featuring Netanyahu’s participation, was far from insignificant. Read the rest of this entry »
FT: Thank you for doing the interview Mr President.
Obama: My pleasure, I read the Financial Times before other people read the Financial Times. Now it’s trendy and everybody carries around a Financial Times.
FT: Let’s talk about the G-20. What will be your benchmarks for success?
Obama: The most important task for all of us is to deliver a strong message of unity in the face of crisis.
Bill Balderston of Labor Notes interviews a labor organizer, “Homayoun Poorzad”, based in Tehran:
On our partner site Libertas, Ali Yenidunya 
Enduring America’s Ali Yenidunya has dropped in on our partner website, Libertas, 
From the Financial Times website
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