A Member of Telecommunications Labor Organizations Reports Ambiguity in the 'Employee Credit Fund' of 800 Billion Tomans

A senior member of Iran's telecommunications labor organizations criticized the 'mismanagement' in the company and reported ambiguity regarding the 'Employee Credit Fund' despite continuous deductions from employees' salaries. The Vice President of the Supreme Council of Coordination of Telecommunications Labor Organizations in Iran stated that since the public telecommunications entity was privatized, 'our problems have increased due to mismanagement.' Ali Akbar Basmal, head of the Workers' Council of the Mazandaran province telecommunications, told ILNA news agency that salaries have been 'paid late' for some time, and many workers have 'installments' that cause them problems due to delayed payments. He mentioned that when the company was 'state-owned,' there was a fund called the 'Employee Credit Fund' where '6 percent' of employees' salaries were deducted, and '6 percent' was also paid by the employer, with the fund's resources intended for 'workers' welfare.' Basmal added that after privatization, '6 percent' is still deducted from workers' salaries, 'but for more than a year, it has not gone into the cooperative fund.' In addition to employees, retirees from this company are also dissatisfied with their situation and have held numerous protests in various cities in recent years, including recent weeks. In some of these protests, such as on April 23 of this year, retirees from the telecommunications company in Karaj chanted, 'Profitable company - what has happened to you?' The Vice President of the Supreme Council of Coordination of Telecommunications Labor Organizations in Iran stated that the status of about '800 billion tomans' from the Employee Credit Fund is 'unclear' across the country. He pointed out that 'many workers' have requested loans from this fund, but '[the company's managers] say the fund's resources are zero,' asking where the money deducted from workers' salaries each month 'goes.' In Mazandaran, it is unclear where 'more than 33 billion tomans' of this fund's resources have gone. The privatization of 'Iran Telecommunications Company in 2009 is considered one of the most controversial and ambiguous cases of 'privatization' in the Islamic Republic, known as 'the largest privatization.' The government auction for this privatization took place in September 2009 amid protests against the presidential election results, attended by the 'Mobin Trust Development' consortium, including companies affiliated with the Revolutionary Guards, the 'Executive Headquarters of Imam's Command,' and the 'Mehr Economy Investment Company' affiliated with the Basij, all directly managed by representatives of Ali Khamenei, the leader of the Islamic Republic. In this auction, the 'Pishgaman Kavir Yazd' company also applied to participate, but ultimately its 'qualification' was rejected due to what was declared 'security issues.' In December 2009, the bodies of the CEO of the Mobin Trust Development company and his wife were discovered in their home, with the cause of death reported as 'gas poisoning,' adding to the ambiguities surrounding this controversial privatization. Ali Akbar Basmal, Vice President of the Supreme Council of Coordination of Telecommunications Labor Organizations in Iran, also reported insurance problems regarding the deduction of insurance premiums and the rejection of supplementary insurance by some medical centers as other issues faced by telecommunications employees. A number of retirees from the telecommunications company in Ahvaz, Khuzestan province, held a rally on May 29, chanting: 'Enough of oppression - our table is empty.' A group of retirees from Mazandaran telecommunications protested the neglect of their demands with the slogan 'Enough of oppression, our table is empty'; retirees from Isfahan chanted 'Incompetent minister, shame on you' and 'Bankrupt government, enemy of retirees.' Despite promises made, protests by telecommunications retirees were held in at least six cities in Iran. Protests by telecommunications retirees in Ahvaz included the slogan: 'This level of injustice has never been seen by a nation.' Economic protests saw telecommunications retirees gather in at least eleven cities, chanting 'We will not rest until we receive our rights.' Protests occurred in six cities, with retirees in Shush threatened with confrontation.