February 11 2026

The National Union of Public and General Employees (NUPGE) is condemning the violent repression of protests in Iran. 

The most recent development in decades of resilience and resistance, public demonstrations erupted in late December 2025, following the currency collapse and rising cost-of-living crisis. The Iranian people have protested the government’s mismanagement of the economic crisis, worsening living conditions, high food prices, social inequities, declining wages, and the growth of unemployment and precarious work. 

Demonstrations have been met with violent crackdown by the Iranian authorities, including mass killings and arrests. Following the unprecedented internet and phone shutdown in January, Iranians were cut off from the rest of the world, leaving many to fear the worst. It has also made it difficult to assess the scale of repression. But the reports and images of the mass killings, brutal violence, and detentions that have emerged are clear.

When so many people killed by state violence, the refusal by the state to allow collective mourning through connection contributes to the erasure of protesters, notably women, ethnic minorities, and political prisoners. We know in civil unrest, those at the margins of society must endure the brunt of violence. 

In times of conflict and crisis, public service workers are often on the frontlines of the emergency response, caring for the injured, and delivering vital services throughout it all. The stories of the toll on (and risks to) Iranian health care workers are troubling. 

We also know that Iranian Canadians are watching with fear and concern for their loved ones in Iran.

NUPGE joins the global labour movement and Iranian unions in calling for an end to the violent crackdown on protesters and union activists and the human rights violations. NUPGE supports the Iranian people, especially workers and trade unions, mobilizing against the injustices. 

NUPGE lifts up the Iranian people’s call for the government to be held responsible for the atrocities, and for human rights, including labour rights, to be respected. 

We oppose foreign intervention, as has been threatened by the United States, because no nation is innocent of oppression and activists warn it could worsen repression inside the country. Additionally, we stand in support of the right to self-determination—the future of Iran is for the people to decide, not the United States or others.