Continuation of Livelihood Protests with Gatherings of Retired Government Employees in at Least 6 Provinces of Iran

Livelihood protests in Iran continued on Tuesday, September 25, with gatherings of retired government employees in several provinces including Qazvin, Hamadan, Ilam, Kermanshah, Khuzestan, and Kurdistan. These gatherings, particularly among educators, are held every Tuesday in protest against their living conditions and the lack of attention to their demands. The protesting retirees chanted slogans such as "Neither the parliament nor the government cares about the nation," "Imprisoned teacher must be freed," and "Inflation and rising prices are breaking the backs of the people." Other slogans included "Livelihood dignity is our undeniable right," "We are retirees, forgotten by all," "Promises are enough, our fridge is empty," "No bowing, no compromise, equalization without demands," and "Incompetent officials, resign, resign." According to ILNA, during the gatherings on Monday, some retirees from the telecommunications company were arrested in Razavi Khorasan province for protesting the "lack of attention to their demands." The Private Sector Union of Telecommunications Services in Fars region criticized the authorities for their "disregard for the law" regarding the telecommunications company. In recent weeks, the Free Workers Union of Iran has urged the international labor union community to pay attention to the "widespread repression of workers, teachers, retirees, and all independent labor groups" as a continuation of the blatant violation of workers' human rights in Iran. A World Bank report has indicated a bleak economic outlook for Iran under the Islamic Republic. Ahmad Alavi, an economic researcher, previously stated that economic uncertainty in Iran is directly related to "political uncertainty."