3,000 Workers Gather in South Pars; Labor Protests Continue in Iran

Simultaneously with the protest and sit-in of three thousand contract workers from 12 refineries in South Pars, retirees, employees of the Tehran Metro operating company, and medical staff from four hospitals in Ahvaz also gathered and staged sit-ins on Tuesday, December 6, demanding the realization of their livelihood and professional demands. According to ILNA news agency and labor Telegram channels, the indifference of South Pars officials to the protests and demands of workers over the past 16 weeks led contract workers from all 12 refineries to hold a large protest in front of the South Pars gas complex headquarters and the second refinery. The Telegram channel 'Kargah' estimated the number of protesters to be 'about three thousand.' The protesters demanded 'review and proper implementation of the job classification plan and a fair payment system,' 'job security,' and 'adherence to previous agreements, especially regarding earned leave.' The sit-in participants chanted: 'From slogans to action, fruitless promises,' 'Fair wages are our legitimate right,' 'One word, one word, wage without discrimination, peace and peace.' Meanwhile, according to the 'Civil Market Protest' channel, the strike of workers at the Boroujerd textile factory, protesting unpaid wages, benefits, and insurance rights, entered its eighth day on Tuesday. Retirees of 1402 also emphasized their livelihood demands by gathering in front of the Presidential Office in Tehran and chanting slogans. Based on published reports, retirees shouted: 'Don't delay today and tomorrow, fulfill our rights,' 'This much injustice, a nation has never seen,' 'Enough promises, our table is empty,' and 'Enemy of retirees, bankrupt government, 'Either right or right, strike against the wrong,' 'Honest service, unjust reward.' Cultural retirees from Semnan province participating in these protests held a banner demanding the payment of '60 percent of their remaining years of service.' The Coordination Council of Iranian Teachers' Trade Unions noted that nearly 15 months have passed since the promise to pay 60 percent of the retirement bonus to this group of retirees, and in support of this gathering, it wrote: 'Indifference to the demands of cultural retirees and the repeated broken promises of the government is a clear sign of systemic injustice in the country's administrative system.' This council emphasized: 'Cultural retirees who have worked for years towards the growth and development of society should not become victims of managerial inefficiency and the irresponsibility of officials.' On the other hand, following the ongoing protests by nurses and medical staff from three hospitals in Ahvaz, the operating room staff at Taleghani Hospital in the city also joined the protests on Tuesday. The reasons for the protests by medical personnel in Ahvaz include 'insufficient wages and the pushing of medical staff below the poverty line,' 'the lowest wage coefficient in the hospital belonging to operating rooms,' and 'the lack of attention from the Development Office to the legal and hierarchical protests of the personnel.' The intensification of problems and issues faced by nurses in August of this year led to the formation of a continuous and ongoing nationwide strike, where hundreds of nurses and medical staff from public hospitals began their protests and strikes, emphasizing the realization of their professional and livelihood demands in at least 16 provinces of Iran, continuing until September. According to reports, the persistence of nurses' problems has led the head of the Nursing Organization to send a letter to the Minister of Health of the Islamic Republic, stating 'the increase in the number of nursing service packages,' 'the increase in the relative value of services in some sections,' and 'the real increase in the monetary coefficient of nursing tariffs' as among the demands of nurses. At the same time, a group of employees of the Tehran Metro operating company protested against the decision to transfer ownership of this company to the Tehran Municipality and also against the non-payment of their wage arrears in front of the metro building. The protesters believe that the transfer of the metro operating company to the municipality will lead to incorrect calculations of retirement, benefits, and work hardship, harming their rights. Additionally, a group of retirees from Khorasan Petrochemical protested against the cutting of some of their benefits following 'collusion between the pension fund and the employer.' Dozens of cultural retirees from Yazd province also protested in front of the Yazd Planning and Budget Organization against the incomplete implementation of the equalization law. The protesters shouted: 'We will not rest until we receive our rights.' The expansion of labor protests among various groups, including retirees, workers from various industries, teachers, defrauded investors, and nurses and medical staff, indicates an increase in livelihood problems in Iran and the indifference of Islamic Republic officials. The continuation of livelihood protests in Iran in recent days has coincided with the intensification of disputes between Israel and the Islamic Republic, and turmoil in Iran's financial markets continues.