A Newspaper's Account of the Suffering of Laid-off Workers at Borujerd Textile: Layoffs at Times of Need

In a time when inflation has plunged the Iranian economy into its toughest period and people's livelihoods are on the brink of collapse, layoffs and workforce reductions have become part of the agenda for some production units; the newspaper 'Ham-Mihan' reports that in the Borujerd textile factory alone, 110 workers were laid off in December and 330 since the beginning of the year. In a report titled 'The Lament of the Laid-off,' the newspaper interviewed workers from the Borujerd textile factory. According to this report, the decision for sudden and widespread layoffs is not limited to December of this year; in 2009, about 400 workers were laid off, in 2016 about 500, and in 2020 about 900 from this factory. This action indicates the worsening crisis in industries in Iran. This crisis may partly be due to the performance of managers and industrial owners, as 'Ham-Mihan' writes that in Borujerd textile, wages were paid with delays of three to four months, and contracts were signed for 15 days or one month with workers; an action that has created job insecurity, diminished motivation, and affected productivity. A female worker regarding her dismissal from this factory told 'Ham-Mihan': 'They knew I was the head of my family and had a child who needed treatment and had no income other than this factory, but they dismissed me.' The newspaper quotes this laid-off woman as saying, 'We even had 15-day contracts at that factory; in the section I worked, all our contracts were one month long.' According to this worker, 'They would deposit one salary every three months,' and despite regular payment of insurance premiums, 'insurance was never established.' This worker stated that instead of answering why her contract was not renewed, 'security' expelled them. Another worker said, 'I was working until 10:30 PM on Thursday, but on Friday morning they called me to say I was no longer allowed to enter the company.' He emphasized, 'All those who were laid off were specialists and experienced.' Another worker criticized the factory managers, saying, 'They take loans but spend them elsewhere and then throw out the workers.' According to him, they took a loan of 195 billion tomans through one of the members of parliament, worked with this loan for a year, and now they have thrown out the workers. Layoffs have become a common practice in Iran, and according to media reports, workers in some industrial units have faced actions such as dismissal or salary cuts after protesting wage conditions or arrears and demanding the implementation of job classification plans. The critical livelihood conditions of workers have caused increasing dissatisfaction among the workforce in society, and workers from various units hold continuous protests to pursue demands such as 'implementation of job classification plans,' 'benefiting from job advantages,' and 'payment of arrears.' The lack of the possibility for independent labor organizations to operate freely, alongside incomplete laws and regulations, has created a critical situation for workers from various aspects. In such a situation, layoffs in some industrial units, including Ilam petrochemicals, have even led to chain suicides. Hassan Bagherinia, a dismissed professor, after being summoned to the prosecutor's office: this is 'the decline of the university in the sacred Islamic system.' Several labor and guild organizations: the government wants to push people back with executions and repression. Workers' suicides in Iran; an economist says this is the most acute form of protest against the chaos. Implementation of two demands from the workers of the National Steel Group of Ahvaz; ILNA: the strike has ended. Workers of the National Steel Group of Ahvaz did not accept the proposals to end the strike.