Call for the Release of 12 Detained Workers from Doroud Cement Factory

On Thursday, January 24, the head of the Supreme Council of Coordination of Islamic Labor Councils of the country called for the release of 12 workers from the Doroud Cement Factory in Lorestan province. According to ILNA news agency, Olia Ali-Bigi also reported on the council's efforts to secure the release of these imprisoned workers. Earlier, ILNA had reported that 12 workers from the Doroud Cement Factory were arrested by law enforcement on Wednesday, January 23, during the third day of protests by the workers at this factory following a complaint from the employer. The workers were protesting the cessation of production activities at the factory and demanding job security. ILNA reported that eight of the detainees are members of the Islamic Labor Council of the Doroud Cement Factory, and one of the detainees, Mansour Saki, is the head of the Islamic Councils Association in Lorestan province. These arrests occurred despite the fact that labor law permits the activities of Islamic labor councils in production units. According to ILNA, the chairman of the board of the national coordination council stated that since Mansour Saki, the head of the council in Lorestan, is among the detainees, they are pursuing the matter more seriously and are in contact with the Ministry of Cooperatives, Labor, and Social Welfare regarding the issue. Olia Ali-Bigi warned about the negative impacts of the detention of worker representatives on the progress of labor-related demands. This is not the first time that workers or their representatives have been arrested in Iran due to labor protests. Previously, worker representatives in the Chadormalu mine and the Bahaf mine were also detained on security charges but were released following protests by the workers. Meanwhile, ILNA reported that on Thursday, January 24, workers at the Doroud Cement Factory gathered in the industrial unit's premises, demanding the reopening of the closed factory and the release of their detained colleagues. ILNA also reported that detained workers during labor protests involving hundreds of workers in phases 23 and 24 of the Assaluyeh region were released on Tuesday, January 22, after signing what was referred to as a 'commitment.' These workers had been arrested by law enforcement. An informed source in Assaluyeh told ILNA that these workers were identified as 'disturbers of public order.' In recent years, several workers protesting their working conditions in various regions of Iran have been arrested on similar charges. According to ILNA, coinciding with the release of workers in Assaluyeh, nearly a month’s worth of wage demands from striking workers in phases 22, 23, and 24 of Assaluyeh was also paid. An informed official in Assaluyeh had previously confirmed the labor issues faced by contract workers in phases 22, 23, and 24 to ILNA, stating that this situation has caused dissatisfaction among workers, and senior officials in the region are trying to compel employers and contractors to fulfill unpaid wage commitments through the security council. According to the report, some workers in phases 22, 23, and 24 of Assaluyeh are employed through third and fourth-tier contracting companies in ongoing construction projects in these areas. ILNA reported that the number of these workers is about one thousand, and a significant portion of them have been owed back wages since the middle of this summer due to what is described as the non-payment of financial statements or the employer's and contractor's delinquency. It was added that during recent labor protests, about ten workers were identified as disturbers of public order, and some of them were separately arrested by responsible authorities. Meanwhile, the Free Workers Union of Iran issued a statement criticizing the detention of workers, rejecting charges such as 'disturbing public order,' and stating that these accusations have become overly 'worn out and lack any deterrent effect.' This labor union pointed out the issuance of a directive by the judiciary of Khuzestan province this fall, which deemed labor protests by workers in the Mahshahr petrochemical complex illegal, stating that protesting workers will not back down in their pursuit of their demands.