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Mohammad Habibi

It has been almost a decade since the last general assembly of the Teachers’ Guilds was held. During this ten-year period, various governments have prevented the holding of general assemblies for baseless reasons, causing problems for the guilds. While the year 2014 marked the beginning of widespread communication and relative unity among teachers, the involvement of guilds in the wave of teacher protests has been effective in increasing the credibility of this professional institution among teachers. The organization of several relatively large gatherings in 2014 and 2015 under the management of guilds throughout the country has been a turning point in this effective relationship in recent years. The management of this has resulted in costs being imposed on the guilds as a whole, especially the Teachers’ Guild of Tehran. The implementation of previous rulings against some guild activists, the arrest and prosecution of others, and ultimately the imposition of further security pressure on the entire guild community were among the consequences. Now, with a relative decrease in these pressures and the

One.

In the past ten years and as a result of the lack of general assemblies, there has been no official change in the members of the boards of trade unions. In fact, the decision-making hierarchy of trade unions has become stagnant both in terms of age and practicality. This has hindered the ability to move forward, plan, and effectively pursue and implement the needs and demands of teachers within such programs. Some trade unions, outside of the official framework of general assemblies, have provided the opportunity for younger activists to enter the organization, while the widespread use of social networks and the formation of various groups for teachers within these networks have helped connect decision-makers and trade union activists in the virtual space. However, the majority of influential individuals within trade unions are those who have become members of the board of directors in the past ten years, mostly during their retirement. Although the experience and abilities of some of these individuals have been effective in sustaining the organization despite all the pressures and threats, the lack of necessary movement

Two.

In the past ten years, despite efforts to promote peace and civility within the framework of laws and policies, teachers’ union activities have faced pressure and suppression in various governments. Summons and arrests of union activists, imposition of long-term imprisonment, forced expulsion and retirement, crackdown on union gatherings, and threats through security and surveillance institutions have been among these pressures. Among these, the refusal to issue permits for holding general assemblies is one of the illegal actions taken to sever the connection between union bodies and teachers. The new government’s decision to issue permits for holding general assemblies can only be accepted if the independence of this union institution is recognized by the government. Union institutions can only have the necessary impact in pursuing their economic, livelihood, and educational demands if they can operate independently and without illegal government interference. Therefore, holding general assemblies can help maintain a dynamic connection between teachers and union bodies, and in the process of holding elections, the government should only play a supervisory role within legal frameworks. Any interference

Three.

In the current situation and despite the economic problems in Iranian society, the majority of Iranian teachers are living below the poverty line. This claim is supported by official government statistics. While the official poverty line has been announced to be between three to three and a half million tomans per month, the average income of teachers in Iran is at most two million tomans. In recent years, we have witnessed systematic efforts by educational decision-makers to reduce schools and classrooms and increase student density, in an attempt to reduce overtime hours and save on educational expenses. This not only decreases the quality of education, but also puts additional pressure on teachers who try to reduce the gap between their lives and the poverty line through overtime work. In addition, the inefficient and unsupportive insurance and the accumulation of unpaid debts in recent years have led to an increase in overall dissatisfaction among teachers with the country’s educational decision-makers. In such conditions, it seems that the most important and radical demands that can connect the dissatisfied body of