Continued Occupational Protests in Iran; Employees of the Continental Shelf Company on Lavan Island Gathered

The Telegram channel 'Oil Thoughts' reported the continuation of occupational protests in the oil and gas sector of the country, stating that employees of the Continental Shelf Company on Lavan Island held their first gathering of the new year on Friday, April 10, in protest of unmet demands. Recently, workers and maintenance staff of the railway lines in Khorasan and Lorestan regions also went on strike due to unpaid wages and benefits. According to 'Oil Thoughts', the protesters' demands included the dismissal of infiltrators and incompetent managers, the removal of salary caps, reform of the minimum wage, and the elimination of retirement benefits restrictions. The report further noted that the full implementation of Article 10, payment of back-pay related to Article 10, and the non-separation of jobs in operational areas were among the demands of the employees of the Continental Shelf Company on Lavan Island. Based on 'Article 10 of the Duties and Powers of the Ministry of Oil', which was approved by the Islamic Consultative Assembly on May 8, 2012, 'The administrative and employment systems and the payment of salaries and benefits for those employees of the Ministry of Oil's subsidiary companies who are employed in operational and specialized units are subject to a specific regulation aimed at enhancing competitiveness and accelerating the exploitation of joint fields and preserving specialized human resources.' According to this law, the administrative and employment systems and the payment of salaries and benefits 'are prepared without the obligation to comply with the Civil Service Management Law, while observing other relevant laws and regulations, and with the proposal of the Ministry of Oil and the approval of the President's Management Development and Human Capital Deputy, and must be approved by the President within a maximum of six months after the enactment of this law.' Despite more than a decade since the approval of this law, many employees in Iran's oil and gas industry continue to protest the non-implementation of it and the injustice in their wage conditions. In Azar 1402, some operational employees of the Ministry of Oil of the Islamic Republic who protested the non-implementation of 'Article 10' told the 'ILNA' news agency: 'Operational employees of the Ministry of Oil are not high earners, and their salaries are paid after thirty years of round-the-clock work, both on holidays and non-holidays.' They stated that operational jobs 'cannot be suspended' and the work of operational forces 'is not comparable to other jobs'; thus, 'these workers cannot be considered under the Civil and Military Service Law.' According to the Free Workers Union of Iran, among the issues of concern for official employees of the Ministry of Oil working in operational centers are protests against 'the lack of attention to demands such as the complete removal of salary caps, the elimination of retirement benefits restrictions, the return of excess tax deductions, the full implementation of Article 10 and the payment of back-pay due to delays in its implementation, and the non-interference with the retirement fund of oil workers.' The gathering on Friday by the official employees of the Iranian Continental Shelf Company in the operational area of Lavan is a continuation of their protests from last year, the latest of which occurred on the 5th, 11th, and 18th of Esfand 1402. Previously, official employees of the Ministry of Oil working in the Continental Shelf Company located in the Siri region, the oil-rich southern areas, and the Oil and Gas Exploitation Company of Aghajari had gathered in protest against the lack of attention to their demands, including the non-implementation of 'Article 10.' Several labor and retiree organizations have stated: 'There is no way left but to take to the streets.' A number of workers and employees of the railway in Lorestan went on strike. The management of the National Industrial Group of Steel in Ahvaz dismissed several protesting workers. The Sugarcane Workers Syndicate of Haft Tappeh stated: 'The humiliating wage of 1403 is a blatant attack on the lives of workers and wage earners.' The first strike of the new year; railway workers in Khorasan stopped working. Organizations protested against the minimum wage; the Syndicate of Workers of the Tehran Bus Company stated: 'The only way is unity and independent organization.'