Work Councils in Iran: The Illusion of Worker Control

Abstract

Contrary to prevalent arguments in the literature on Iranian work councils ('showras'), this article contends that the push for councils was a premature initiative. While political repression was a very important factor in the defeat of council movement, the demise of the movement stemmed mainly from the weaknesses of the Iranian working class and the left, from the nature and structure of the councils and from the objective conditions in which they were operating. Questioning the theoretical and conceptual basis of workers' councils and worker control, the article points to different forms of industrial democracy as the only viable option for articulating the demands of working people.

Trajectories of Resistance and Shifting Forms of Workers’ Activism in Iran

“…The only surviving organization were the workers' councils, Showrāhā, established in many factories after 1978 as a strike committee with a strong, bottom-up management approach. 53 Mobilization had led to a phase of control from below. Although at the beginning workers were protesting to achieve economic gains, month after month, they built a network of members who were conscious of their political role and goals.…”

Stakeholder Management on Construction Projects: A Key Indicator for Project Success

“…In either case, the conclusion is subjective because it hinges on the values of the individual conducting the assessment. Owing to the malfunction of development projects in the 1950s and 1960s, social workers and field activists began to call for the inclusion of populations concerned with development in project design and implementation [13]. The perception then was that such projects were ineffective because local populations were left out of the decision making process; a state of affairs that tended to perpetuate social inequality.…”

“…This study provided evidence to support or dispute earlier studies made into the field of stakeholder involvement in the decentralization process in relation to project planning and implementation. Previous studies have examined stakeholder involvement in project planning and implementation [9], [11] and [13], factors influencing their involvement by [20] and [25] benefits of stakeholder involvement [20] and [31]. Other studies have also looked into the problems encountered in stakeholder involvement [32] and [38].…”