This directly contradicts a statement by the oil minister on Iranian radio yesterday that a negotiated agreement had been reached with the oil workers. More arrests were ma de during raids on workers' homes last night. Iranian oil workers have been campaigning for better pay and conditions, but also for the right to form their own union and to bargain collectively. In the absence of any clear response from the authorities, some work stoppages reportedly took place last year. Workers threatened a further, unlimited strike if their demands were not met.
Oil is Iran's main export.
On 5-6 February this year, according to the emigre groups, oil workers in each city elected representatives, who met in Tehran on 7 February to form a national oil workers' organisation. However, the government intervened, dissolved the meeting and sent t he representatives back to their respective cities, which it forbade them to leave. A week later, the government demanded that each oil city send representatives to Tehran for negotiations. Hence yesterday's mass picket of the oil ministry. Individual news items can be supplied in other languages on request.