Workers Strikes Continue in Iran

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Iran: Protest rally of municipal workers - Image archive
Iran: Protest rally of municipal workers – Image archive

By Jubin Katiraie

Municipality workers in Aghajari, southwest Iran, protested for the third day in a row on Wednesday over city officials’ refusal to pay them for two months, as well as unpaid wages from the previous contractor dating back to 2018.

The striking workers had not received any response as of Tuesday and reports indicate that the city’s waste containers are full and some have spilled over into the streets.

On Tuesday, silo workers in Kangavar, western Iran, gathered outside the governor’s office to protest the city’s silo transfer to the private sector. The silo, priced between $6 and $6.5 million in 2018, was sold to the private sector this year for less than 10% of that, with the buyer only putting down 15% of the already heavily discounted property.

The workers are concerned because they are to be made unemployed when their current contract ends, with non-locals taking their jobs.

Also on Tuesday, Damash mineral water factory workers in Rudbar, northern Iran, protested outside the regime governor’s office to demand the immediate payment of their long-delayed salaries and insurance premium payments.

While on Monday, contract workers in Neyshabur, western Iran, stopped working in protest to temporary employment contracts and delayed wages from August. They want their wages paid immediately and to be placed on permanent contracts.

They’ve also been holding rallies in front of various government buildings over the past week to demand that their problems be addressed, despite the coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic, which is widespread in the city because the regime has failed to fight it properly on a national level.

Also on Monday, students at the Kerman University of Medical Sciences protested against authorities holding the basic science exams during the coronavirus pandemic, something that was also protested against by students at Mashhad University of Medical Sciences and Boroujerd University.

Throughout all of this, the workers at Iran’s oil, gas, and petrochemical industries have been continuing their strikes over unpaid wages.

The Australian Council of Trade Unions of New South Wales, a parent organization of 48 unions comprising off over 600,000 workers, issued a statement on August 30 in support of these workers.

It read: “We express our deep concern about the situation of the striking workers in Iran, especially refinery workers. We demand the payment of all delayed paychecks, an immediate end to the dismissal and threats of the workers, and the unconditional release of all imprisoned workers in Iran.”

 

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Iran Protests Continue Across the Country