The Precedence of Guild Action over Political Activity; Studying the Confrontation of the Industrial Working Class with the Labor Unions in Isfahan (1941 – 1953)

With the decline of Reza Shah’s throne in September 1941, the industrial working class—that had previously been formed in Iran—found an opportunity to express its guild demands. Meanwhile, political parties, especially the Tudeh Party, also tried to use the opportunity to propagate among the working class. In short time, they were able to get many privileges from industry owners and the government. At first, Taghi Fidakar tried to keep the union as a guild institution and away from political conflicts, but with his departure from Isfahan, the Tudeh Party used labor activities as a means to achieve political goals and eliminate its rivals, diverting the path of union struggles. This article examines the confrontation between workers and unions using a rational explanation method. Article findings show that the political and guild action of this class was based on a kind of class-consciousness and understanding, and was not merely a factor of unions and parties. On the other hand, the Tudeh Party emphasis on political issues caused the opposition parties to reduce the power of the labor unions by creating a parallel organization and derailing it. The result of this process was the forgetting of guild demands in the shadow of political activities, which caused the most damage to the workers of Isfahan.