A Labor Activist Rejects Social Security's Claim About 'Not Cutting Workers' Insurance'

The head of the Association of Construction Workers in Kurdistan Province, on Sunday, July 31, protested against the 'Insurance Deputy of Social Security' who claimed that 'there are no financial resources for insuring construction workers.' He questioned where the 'construction fees' collected by Social Security have gone if they are not being spent on workers. According to ILNA, 'Mikael Sedighi,' a labor activist, further explained that after the amendment of Article 5 of the Construction Workers Insurance Law, Social Security collects '25% of construction fees' as insurance premiums. The total of these amounts is significant, and 'we do not know where it is spent.' He emphasized that in Kurdistan Province alone, 'the insurance of 15,000 real construction workers has been unjustly cut off for various reasons.' Meanwhile, 'Mohammad Mohammadi,' the Technical and Insurance Deputy of Social Security, claimed on July 23 that insurance for construction workers has not been cut in recent years, and only non-workers have been removed from coverage, stating that 'the rumors that we are cutting construction workers' insurance are unfounded.' Sedighi rejected Social Security's claims, stating that the cutting of workers' insurance occurs for 'various excuses,' such as cutting the insurance of a worker who 'was not present at their workplace during Social Security's quarterly inspection.' This labor activist also mentioned the cutting of insurance for 'gas workers' in most provinces under the pretext of lacking a 'business license,' adding that 'in 2015, they issued a directive that this group of workers must have a business license to continue their activities. Now they have issued a new directive that the insurance of all workers with a business license should be cut.' Sedighi explained the seasonal nature of construction workers and the cutting of their insurance in winter, adding that 'due to the relationships between Social Security offices and municipalities, a significant portion of the insurance resources for construction workers has been embezzled and not spent on workers' insurance.' In recent years, workers have repeatedly protested and gone on strike over their living conditions. The number of labor protests, such as strikes and gatherings in various regions of Iran, has been on the rise in recent years. These protests are mainly focused on the delayed payment of wages, insurance rights, low wages, layoffs from factories and companies, and the ineffective privatization process.