Consequences of Inflation; Workers Without Fixed Salaries Concerned About Wage Justice

News sources in Iran have reported an increase in dissatisfaction regarding "wage justice" for workers, especially for those "without fixed salaries," coinciding with the intensification of inflation for essential goods. The ILNA news agency wrote: "Numerous field reports" indicate that workers in jobs without fixed salaries find that employers have broad discretion in interpreting contract types, work forms, determining payment amounts, reducing wages, and denying insurance rights, leading to significant dissatisfaction among many workers. Accordingly, many workers subject to "Article 35 of the Labor Law and its two notes" claim that employers do not adopt a fair approach regarding the denial of insurance rights, monthly salary calculations, and fixed minimum payment amounts. The first note of Article 35 of the Islamic Republic's Labor Law states: "If the wage is related to hours worked," it is hourly wage, and if it is "based on the amount of work done or the product produced," it is commission, and if it is "based on the product produced or the amount of work done within a specified time," it is called hourly commission. The second note of this article also states that the "rules and benefits" related to hourly wages, hourly commissions, and commissions and jobs subject to this article will be determined "by the proposal of the Supreme Labor Council and approved by the Minister of Labor and Social Affairs," and that the "maximum working hours" subject to this article should not exceed the "maximum legal working hours." Some labor activists have stated that based on these legal provisions, when a person is insured for receiving an amount around one-third of the approved minimum wage, and the remainder of their received amount is paid as commission, bonuses, etc., this causes the "individual to receive a relatively reasonable salary only during work." Consequently, this leads to "increased work pressure" to obtain the minimum and also deprives the individual of "future rights" such as receiving retirement pensions upon retirement. On the other hand, Ayat Asadi, a labor member of the Supreme Labor Council of the Islamic Republic, has also protested against the "formula for wage increases" in recent years for minimum wage earners, stating that the same "57% increase" in 1401, which opponents frequently highlight, only brought "1 million and 500 thousand tomans" in real terms for workers, while "during this period, rent has increased four or five times this amount." Regarding the method of wage increases and which formula is "fair and satisfactory," he said: "The table of the wage-earning community has severely shrunk," and therefore any formula proposed and put on the agenda must "be effective in practice"; numbers and percentages on paper do not do anything; "a formula is important that can save tables from shrinking and satisfy the wage-earning community of the country." According to data from the comprehensive report "Human Rights Violations in Iran" published by two human rights organizations, "Dadgostar" and "Human Rights Activists in Iran," during the one-year period from January 1 to December 20, 2023, 75% of the total 2021 protests in Iran this year were related to livelihoods and were conducted by guilds, workers, and market or stock market victims. Additionally, out of 145 strikes reported by these two human rights organizations, 143 strikes were related to livelihood issues. A 20% wage increase for workers was confirmed; the Guardian Council approved the wage increase for employees and retirees. Guilds and industries are becoming vacant of labor; 50% of workers have informal jobs. An activist stated: "The arrears of disability pensions have not yet been paid." Retirees, workers, and guilds protested in at least five gatherings in cities across Iran. The consequences of unusual wages; workers remain unemployed but do not work for low wages.