Continued Strike of Truck Drivers; About 40 Arrested

Reports from Iran indicate that the strike of truck drivers continues in several regions of Iran on Thursday. Simultaneously, nearly 40 individuals have been arrested in the provinces of Fars and Qazvin and in the city of Pakdasht, whom judicial and law enforcement officials describe as those who obstructed the passage of trucks. Social media reports indicate that the strike of truck drivers continued on Thursday, October 5. The new round of the truck drivers' strike began on Saturday, September 23. Meanwhile, the Free Workers Union of Iran stated that the strike was ongoing on Thursday in 31 provinces of Iran. This labor organization also mentioned that truck drivers were on strike on Wednesday, October 4, in cities including Sabzevar, Yazd, Divandarreh, Najafabad, Tehran, Isfahan, Nishapur, Qazvin, Kermanshah, Ardabil, Ahvaz, Shush, Zanjan, Zarinsahr, Tabriz, and Sirjan. According to this labor organization, the truck drivers' strike has caused fuel shortages at gas stations in some cities. Radio Farda is not independently able to verify this news. Following the new round of the truck drivers' strike, reports have emerged about the arrest of approximately 40 individuals in the provinces of Fars and Qazvin and Pakdasht in southeastern Tehran. Law enforcement and judicial officials have accused the detainees of obstructing the passage of trucks. Previously, the Fars news agency, close to the Revolutionary Guards, released a video on Wednesday showing a truck that was shot at. Concurrently, according to ISNA news agency, the public prosecutor of Tehran issued a directive to district prosecutors and heads of judicial areas in Tehran province, asking them to identify individuals who, according to him, 'in various ways disrupt the transportation and delivery of essential goods or obstruct services to the people,' and to prosecute them. He explained the prosecutor's office's actions against those who 'hinder services on intercity roads and create disruptions in the transportation of goods and necessities for the people,' stating: 'Some instances of road blockages fall under Article 653 of the Penal Code and highway robbery, which carries severe penalties for offenders.' The Tehran prosecutor cited the 'conditions of the country' and the 'enemy's intention to demoralize' the people through 'disruptions in services to them' as reasons for issuing this directive, stating: 'The judiciary will not tolerate that a group dares to halt services to the people in the aforementioned ways, as transporting goods from ports and provincial centers to cities is a normal and necessary matter.' Earlier, Ali Salehi, the prosecutor of Shiraz, had threatened striking truck drivers with legal action on Tuesday, October 3. According to ISNA, the Shiraz prosecutor's statement indicated that serious action would be taken against those who, as he described, 'prevent the services of trucks and their movement with the instigation of enemies and with the intent to create dissatisfaction.' The Shiraz prosecutor labeled these individuals as 'disruptors of public order and security, causing traffic jams, deliberately damaging people's property, and creating insecurity on roads and transportation routes,' stating that they could be classified as 'mohareb' (wage earners). Alongside these security and judicial actions against the truck drivers' strike, government officials and several members of parliament have promised to meet the demands of truck drivers. For instance, Dariush Amani, deputy of transportation at the Road Maintenance and Transportation Organization, promised on Tuesday that the calculation of truck drivers' transportation fees based on 'tons per kilometer' would be operational within two months and expressed hope that this demand of truck drivers would be realized within one to two months. He also mentioned that the issue of tires would be resolved. According to this report, approximately 100,000 tires are needed monthly by drivers. Dariush Amani stated that in the past two months, 100,000 tires were distributed, and currently, there is a shortage of 100,000 tires. This government official also stated that some demands are being seriously reviewed and acted upon by the government, parliament, and other executive bodies. He added: 'Some issues and problems, including dealing with non-compliant transportation companies, additional commissions of non-compliant companies, informing drivers about the amount of fees received, returning social security insurance to its previous state, and urgently launching supplementary insurance for drivers, have been addressed and resolved promptly.' The new round of the truck drivers' strike in some regions of Iran began with demands such as establishing a base fare based on tons per kilometer by load type, reducing the prices of trucks, spare parts, and tires with the allocation of state currency and the elimination of customs duties, as well as increasing drivers' wages, increasing truck fares, enhancing retirement pensions for drivers, improving road security, renewing drivers' and truck drivers' labor organizations through free elections, and creating welfare and health facilities for drivers at urban and border terminals. Previously, truck drivers had also gone on strike with the same demands in July and June of this year; strikes that received support from the General Confederation of Labor, major labor unions in Italy, the Front Against Austerity in that country, and the union of workers of the Tehran and Suburbs Bus Company.