Continued Wage Arrears for 2,700 Workers at Sadra Bushehr: We Haven't Received Our Salaries for Months, No One is Accountable

ILNA news agency reported on Tuesday, March 8, that despite several months passing and numerous promises from the management of Iran Marine Industrial Company (Sadra), wage arrears for nearly 2,700 contract and direct hire workers at Sadra in Bushehr province remain unpaid. According to ILNA, the issue of unpaid wages for 3 to 4 months for nearly 2,000 contract workers and 680 direct hire workers at Iran Marine Industrial Company (Sadra) continues. One employee of the company told ILNA that contract workers have been demanding their salaries since November and direct hire workers since December of the current year. This worker stated that the "insurance premiums" for workers have also not been paid since December, and regarding the retirement of workers subject to the hazardous jobs law, he added that the employer has long stopped covering the costs of "early retirement" for workers under the "hazardous and arduous jobs" law, causing problems for those who are gradually retiring. Currently, there is also no news about the payment of "end-of-year bonuses and severance pay" for these workers. According to ILNA, a protesting worker regarding the non-payment of salaries at Sadra stated: "In following up on our demands, none of the officials are accountable to the workers, and the ongoing uncertainty regarding the situation of these workers, who have not received their salaries for several months, has led many workers to voluntarily leave their workplaces." The delayed payment of salaries and benefits, which often includes the "minimum wage set by the Ministry of Labor" and can sometimes reach 12 or 18 months, has caused numerous visible and hidden crises for the livelihoods of this segment of society. The timely payment of salaries and benefits for workers in factories and workshops is one of the most significant concerns of the Iranian labor community, which has repeatedly taken action through protests, gatherings, or strikes to pursue and demand their rights in recent years and months. A news agency's account of the livelihoods of wage earners; food inflation has reached 145 percent. Protests continue in various cities; at least in 4 cities, sectoral gatherings have been held. Workers and retirees have gone on strike or gathered in at least 7 cities in Iran. Professions and industries are becoming vacant of labor; 50 percent of workers have informal jobs.