Syndicate of Workers of Tehran and Suburbs Bus Company
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| Full name | Syndicate of Workers of Tehran and Suburbs Bus Company |
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| Native name | سنديكای شركت واحد اتوبوسرانی |
| Founded | 1958 |
| Members | 17,000 |
| Key people | Mansour Osanlou |
| Office location | Tehran |
| Country | Iran |
| Website | www.syndicavahed.net |
The Syndicate of Workers of Tehran and Suburbs Bus Company (SWTSBC) (Persian: سنديكای شركت واحد اتوبوسرانی) is a trade union centered on the Greater Tehran region. It has a membership of over 17,000 labourers; most of whom work for the United Bus Company of Tehran (Sharekat-e Vahed). Initially established in 1958, its activity has been intermittent throughout the years. The union gained notoriety after the 1979 Islamic Revolution after it openly engaged a regime that is often hostile towards independent worker organizations.
Iran’s rapid industrialization under the rule of Iran’s final monarch, Mohammad Reza Shah, spawned many worker organizations, including the Syndicate. Labour movements in Iran have been influential participants in the country’s social and political transformation during the 21st century. Like many other sectors of Iranian society, labour unions participated in the 1979 Revolution that eventually led to the Shah’s exile and the inception of the ruling theocracy. Contrary to many of the political aspirations held by the Syndicate during the height of the revolutionary period, the union was placed in an evermore dire position by being banned from all activity. Being replaced by a state-sponsored Islamic Labour Council, bus operators lost the independent representation they once had. Operating in an capacity, the Syndicate had been relatively ineffective until their resurgence in 2004.
Because of the illegality of unions, the Syndicate maintained its network of workers through informal means. The latter half of 2004 symbolized a more organized Syndicate, giving it an aura of legitimacy not seen since its pre-1979 condition. Worker grievances once concealed by anti-union institutions, were now surfacing through the aid of union leaders such as Mansour Osanlou.
After Osanlou was dismissed from the United Bus Company of Tehran along with seventeen other activists in mid-2005, the bus operators movement started to gain momentum. Osanlou’s popularity amongst workers and his charismatic appeal were important factors in making him the rallying point for alienated labourers. Worker disdain led to rumblings of strike action and revolt, but such thoughts were quelled by reactionary security forces organized by the company and the government itself. During one of the many engagements in May, Osanlou was taken into custody after being treated for injuries. He was later released. Pressure from the theocratic regime to dissolve future activities by the union was largely unsuccessful.
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