Continued Strike and Protests by Haft Tappeh Sugarcane Workers and Khuzestan Steel Workers

Reports from the cities of Shush and Ahvaz indicate the continuation of strikes and protests by Haft Tappeh sugarcane workers on the twenty-fourth day and by the workers of the National Industrial Group of Iran Steel for the nineteenth day. The protest by Haft Tappeh workers on Wednesday, December 7, occurred under conditions where, according to the Free Workers Union of Iran, the police chief of Shush had declared any gathering in the city 'prohibited' in a statement on Tuesday. Previously, Sadegh Larijani, the head of the judiciary, had threatened on Monday, December 5, that 'using workers' demands as an excuse to disrupt the order of the country is unacceptable.' He stated: 'Those who want to exploit the pursuit of the dear workers' demands to disrupt the order of the country must be dealt with.' In this context, the Free Workers Union of Iran reported that members of the Security Council of Shush, in a meeting with representatives of Haft Tappeh workers on Tuesday at the governor's office, had 'pressured and threatened' representatives to announce the 'end of the strike' of the workers. Based on videos circulating on social media, Haft Tappeh workers were chanting on Wednesday: 'They stole Haft Tappeh, and they are showing off with it' and 'Death to the oppressor, greetings to the worker.' The Haft Tappeh workers demand the transfer of ownership of the company to the workers with management by a workers' council or to the government, a demand that has so far faced opposition from the government of Hassan Rouhani. According to ILNA news agency, Mahmoud Vaezi, the head of the Iranian President's office, stated on Wednesday that the government 'assigned the governor and some relevant ministers to send an evaluation team to ensure that workers receive their rights and the factory returns to production.' However, he did not indicate whether there is a plan to return ownership of this large agricultural-industrial complex to the government. The Haft Tappeh sugarcane company was privatized in the winter of 2015 with a down payment of six billion tomans. The Haft Tappeh workers also demand the full payment of their overdue wages. So far, two months of four months of overdue wages have been paid to the Haft Tappeh workers, and two more months are scheduled to be paid in January. Additionally, according to ILNA news agency, the Haft Tappeh workers are also demanding 'clarification of the employment status of seasonal workers' at this agricultural-industrial unit. The Haft Tappeh sugarcane company currently has two types of seasonal workers (contractual and contractual workers). Contractual workers are employed by the company, while the so-called 'Iqbali workers' are contracted through a contractor. According to ILNA, the status of social insurance payments for seasonal workers is unclear because their insurance premiums are only paid for half of the year, leading to potential issues at retirement. The freedom of Ismail Bakhshi, a jailed representative of the workers, and the implementation of job ranking in the Haft Tappeh sugarcane company are other demands of the Haft Tappeh workers. Mr. Bakhshi, along with 18 others, was arrested by security forces last Sunday. Currently, this labor activist and Sepideh Gholian, a civil activist, are in detention, while other worker representatives have been released on bail. Regarding Mr. Bakhshi's arrest and his status, Mostafa Nazari, the public and revolutionary prosecutor of Shush, stated on Tuesday that 'preliminary investigations into the case of this detainee are currently underway, and we are awaiting the results of the investigations, and decisions will be made as soon as the results are available.' This judicial official also mentioned that 'the case of the woman who was arrested during the Haft Tappeh protests is also in the preliminary investigation stage.' The continued strike and protests by the workers of the National Industrial Group of Iran Steel are also ongoing. Videos and images circulating on social media indicate the continuation of strikes and protests by the workers of the National Industrial Group of Iran Steel in the streets of Ahvaz. The workers of this large industrial complex were chanting: 'A worker dies - does not accept humiliation,' 'We are iron workers - we will uproot oppression,' 'Neither ruler nor government - they do not care about the nation,' and 'Victory is from God and near victory - death to this deceptive government.' According to reports, the workers of the National Industrial Group of Iran Steel demand the resumption of production, the return of ownership of this complex from the National Bank to the government, and the full payment of their overdue wages. The CEO of this company announced on Tuesday that after selling the products of this complex, one and a half months of three months of their overdue wages will be paid. Additionally, Gholamreza Shariati tweeted on Tuesday that two months of overdue wages for the workers of the National Industrial Group of Iran Steel will be paid next week based on their educational qualifications. This government official did not provide further explanation. Meanwhile, the government of Hassan Rouhani has opposed changing the ownership of this large industrial complex. According to the state news agency IRNA, the National Bank, as the owner of the National Industrial Group of Iran Steel, 'does not consider managing it as its duty and emphasizes its transfer.'