Skip to main content
Work with the NEU
NASUWT delegates pay tribute to jailed Iranian teacher Esmail Abdi
Jailed Iranian teacher and trade unionist Esmail Abdi (left)

INTERNATIONAL solidarity is needed to fight the assault on teachers’ pay and conditions around the world, union delegates heard while commending the bravery of a jailed Iranian teacher.

Teachers at the NASUWT conference today paid tribute to Esmail Abdi, leader of the Iranian Teachers’ Trade Association (ITTA), for his work leading teachers’ demands for better pay and improved conditions for public servants.

Mr Abdi, who is currently serving a six-year prison sentence in Tehran for his activism, was awarded NASUWT’s international solidarity award for his efforts to ensure Iranian teachers are treated fairly.

The 95th Anniversary Appeal
Support the Morning Star
You have reached the free limit.
Subscribe to continue reading.
Similar stories
Workers remove debris at Tehran's Sharif University of Technology complex that Iranian authorities say was hit early Monday by a U.S.-Israeli strike, in Tehran, Iran, April 6, 2026
Features / 10 April 2026
10 April 2026

The Committee for the Defence of the Iranian People’s Rights (Codir) cautiously welcomes the ceasefire, but remains suspicious of US and Israeli intentions

Journalists from foreign media based in Tehran document damage from U.S.-Israeli strikes in a residential area of the town of Fardis, west of Tehran, Iran, April 3, 2026
Features / 4 April 2026
4 April 2026

A packed fringe meeting at the National Education Union conference heard from Iranian teachers, campaigners and journalists

Protesters participate in a demonstration in Berlin, Germany, in support of the nationwide mass protests in Iran against the government, Friday, Jan. 9, 2026
Middle East / 10 January 2026
10 January 2026

The Committee for the Defence of Iranian People’s Rights (Codir) welcomes demonstrations across Iran, which have put pressure upon the theocratic dictatorship, but warns against intervention by the United States to force Iran in a particular direction

People attending the People's Assembly Against Austerity protest in central London. Picture date: Saturday June 7, 2025
TUC Congress 2025 / 8 September 2025
8 September 2025

MATT WRACK issues a clarion call for a rejuvenation of public services for the sake of our communities and our young people