Arrest or Escape from the Country; Conflicting News on the Fate of the Private Employer of Haft Tappeh

During the three-day strike and gathering of workers at Haft Tappeh Sugarcane Company, ILNA news agency reported that the names of some shareholders and board members of this agricultural and industrial unit are on the list of currency offenders. Earlier, reports had emerged regarding the escape or imprisonment of the private employer of Haft Tappeh Sugarcane Company. The strike and gathering of Haft Tappeh workers occurred under conditions where the Haft Tappeh Workers' Syndicate stated that their wages have not been paid for three months since August. The Free Workers' Union of Iran also mentioned that the workers protested against what they called the 'endless problems' of this company and demanded the payment of their overdue wages. According to this report, after the end of their last strike in early September, 'none of their demands were met.' The Free Workers' Union of Iran pointed out that the status of the owners of Haft Tappeh Sugarcane Company is 'unclear,' adding: 'This has led to a lack of cohesive management presence.' Previously, unconfirmed news about the escape or arrest of the private employer of this company had been published. In this regard, the Telegram channel of Haft Tappeh workers reported that the office manager of the company's CEO told representatives of Haft Tappeh workers: 'Something has happened, and neither I know nor do you.' He stated that 'the judicial authority is doing its job,' adding: 'So far, documents have been provided, and if the documents are not accepted by the judicial authority, this company will be disqualified and transferred to the government or another private entity.' Ali Nejati, a dismissed worker of Haft Tappeh and a board member of the workers' syndicate, told Radio Farda: 'The office manager of the company also does not have accurate information about his status. Some say he has been arrested, and others say he has left the country. However, there has been no significant mention of this by judicial authorities.' This labor activist added: 'But after the 15-day strike of the company's workers a few months ago, there has been no news of Omid Asadbeigi in the company environment, and he has not appeared in the company.' ILNA news agency also reported on Tuesday that the names of some shareholders and board members of this agricultural-industrial complex, which is responsible for several other companies and production units, are on the 'list of currency offenders.' However, this news agency did not provide further explanations. Previously, according to the Mizan news agency, affiliated with the judiciary, Abbas Jafari Dolatabadi, the public prosecutor and revolutionary prosecutor of Tehran, stated on November 1 that 'a person bought a company in Khuzestan and from 2015 to 2017 received about $800 million and has not fulfilled his currency commitments and is currently on the run.' He did not mention the name of this person or company. Nonetheless, according to Telegram channels of Haft Tappeh workers and the workers' syndicate of this company, the company mentioned by the public prosecutor of Tehran is 'the same Haft Tappeh Sugarcane Company, and based on investigations conducted and documents obtained, the name of Haft Tappeh Sugarcane Company is among the companies that failed to fulfill their currency commitments on the Central Bank's list.' According to this report, 'the employers of the company who have not fulfilled their currency commitments are reportedly under arrest by order of the prosecutor's office.' This report has not been confirmed or denied by judicial authorities. The process of privatization of Haft Tappeh Sugarcane Company, with 5,400 personnel, began in February 2016 by the Privatization Organization. According to the state news agency IRNA, Haft Tappeh Sugarcane Company, with 24,000 hectares of agricultural land, was transferred to two companies, Zeus and Aryak, with a 'down payment of 60 billion rials.' The Workers' Rights Defense Center pointed out in June 2016 that Zeus and Aryak were two contracting companies in Lorestan province. Aryak was established on July 22, 2009, and according to an advertisement in the official newspaper of the country, Omid Asadbeigi held the management of this family company indefinitely. According to reports from some official media in Iran, the privatization of Haft Tappeh Sugarcane Company raised concerns among its employees, given the bitter experiences such as the privatization of Shush Sugar Company and the unemployment of hundreds of its workers. The Mehr news agency reported on March 10, 2016, that questions lingered in the minds of Haft Tappeh Sugarcane Company employees: 'Do the new shareholders have the ability to maintain this company? And will the bitter memory of the sugar company happen again?' This was while the new owners promised better days with increased production to the worried workers and employees of Haft Tappeh Sugarcane Company. Nevertheless, Razi Nouri, a representative of Shush Daniel in the parliament, warned the then-Minister of Economy Ali Tayebnia in May 2016 about the process of privatizing Haft Tappeh Sugarcane Company to two young men aged 28 and 31. According to reports from several news agencies and labor websites, since the privatization of Haft Tappeh Sugarcane Company, its problems have increased, and even the time for the non-payment of wages and benefits such as insurance rights has become longer than before. In this regard, the workers of this agricultural and industrial unit have repeatedly called for the return of ownership to the government, pointing to these problems. Ali Nejati about the morale of Haft Tappeh Sugarcane Company workers says: 'Current news from the company has had a negative impact on the morale of the workers, and they are in a state of uncertainty.' He pointed out that 'the non-payment of three months' wages, the uncertainty of labor contracts with contractual, temporary, and daily workers' adds that 'the issue of land transfer between employers and changes in their usage has also worried the workers.' The workers of Haft Tappeh Sugarcane Company are not alone in protesting privatization. In recent years, workers from several factories and large industrial and production complexes that have been privatized have raised similar demands. In this regard, one can refer to the demands of workers from the National Industrial Steel Group of Iran and the factories of Hepco and Arak. Previously, according to the Mehr news agency, Mir Ali Ashraf Pouri Hosseini, the head of the Privatization Organization, criticized some individuals who 'have interests that are threatened by the implementation of privatization' on June 12, stating that this issue has led to 'resistances against government transfers.' Controversial privatizations have made headlines in some cases. One can refer to the privatization of Moghan Agricultural and Industrial Company, which, according to Nasser Atabati, the public prosecutor and revolutionary prosecutor of Ardabil, was suspended on October 17. Earlier, Akbar Alam, the former governor of Moghan and former parliament member from Tabriz, Azarshahr, and Eskandari, reported that the lands of Moghan Agricultural and Industrial Company were 'sold for 2,800 tomans per square meter.' According to Mr. Alam, 'the leniency of the Privatization Organization towards the buyer was such that it was decided that the auction winner would pay the transaction amount in 9 installments, with a 6-month interval between installments and a 10% interest rate, and would benefit from two years of grace in paying the first installment.' Meanwhile, according to the website Alef, Ahmad Tavakoli, the head of the Transparency and Justice Watchdog Organization, reported on October 1 that the organization had filed a complaint regarding the privatization of Almahdi and Hormozal Aluminum Complex in Hormozgan province, stating that 'the complaint of the Transparency and Justice Watchdog Organization against the Privatization Organization and the owner of Almahdi Aluminum Complex is being pursued in the Tehran prosecutor's office.' In this regard, Ahmad Moradi, a member of the Energy Commission of the parliament, told the House of Parliament News Agency that 'the privatization of Almahdi and Hormozal is likely to be annulled and the complex will return to the government.' According to this parliament member, it has been revealed that 'the method of privatization of aluminum was not correct, and the Privatization Organization has also violated the law.'