Deputy Speaker of Parliament: The Right to Protest is Preserved for Workers

Ali Motahari, the Deputy Speaker of Parliament, announced on Sunday, September 24, that the right to protest in Iran's constitution is "not only for workers but for all people, provided it does not contradict Islamic laws and is not armed, and should not be prevented." According to ILNA news agency, Mr. Motahari made these remarks while temporarily presiding over the Parliament in response to a reminder from Alireza Mohajoub, the Secretary-General of the House of Workers, regarding the violent actions of the anti-riot guard and police against workers at the Hepco and Azarab factories in Arak. Alireza Mohajoub criticized the treatment of protesting workers from the Azarab and Hepco companies, emphasizing that "workers have the right to protest and express their demands based on the constitution and Articles 141 and 142 of the Labor Law." He raised the question, "Do workers not have the right to freely express their protests and demands?" adding, "Workers should not be treated with insult and humiliation. No one has the right to create disturbances for protesting workers." Meanwhile, ILNA reported that five members of the Islamic Consultative Assembly warned the Minister of Interior about the police's treatment of workers at Azarab in Arak. Mahmoud Sadeghi, one of these representatives, published the letter on his Telegram channel. The other four signatories are Mohammad Ali Vakili, Mohsen Alijani, Soheila Jaloudarzadeh, and Ahmad Mazani. The letter, without mentioning the problems of the Hepco factory workers and their protests, stated: "Why, instead of addressing the legal and religious demands of the Azarab factory workers who have been deprived of their wages and benefits for several months, are they met with violent and police actions?" These five representatives pointed to what they called the "mismanagement of this industrial unit," adding that the Azarab workers, who "have long sought to solve their problems and have been deprived of their wages for several months, were forced to protest according to Article 27 of the constitution, which unfortunately resulted in violent clashes with law enforcement on September 20, injuring several of them." The letter questioned the Ministry of Interior as to why "instead of addressing the legal and religious demands of the workers, the conditions for their protests are being facilitated, causing concern and economic hardship for their families?" According to the Arak Today website, six representatives from the central province; Ali Akbar Karimi, Mahdi Maqdasi, Mohammad Hosseini, Ali Ebrahimi, Mohammad Ebrahim Rezai, and Salimi, on Sunday, issued a written reminder to the Minister of Interior, calling for a special delegation to address the issues occurring in the Azarab and Hepco factories. Reports indicate that Hepco workers blocked the Arak railway line for a few minutes on Tuesday, while Azarab workers closed the Tehran-Arak road, demanding that authorities pay attention to their problems. Workers at these two privatized factories have not received their wages for four to six months. They have previously protested several times since last year over the non-payment of their wages. Approximately two thousand workers are employed at these two factories. Earlier, Kiomars Azizi, the police chief of the central province, responded to criticisms of the anti-riot guard's attack on workers in Arak on Friday, September 30, stating that the police "in some cases must use legal powers to stabilize and establish public security." According to some media reports and photos and videos shared on social media, the anti-riot guard and law enforcement officers attacked workers from the Hepco and Azarab factories in Arak on Tuesday, September 19, injuring several, with a significant number reportedly hospitalized, according to the Free Workers Union of Iran. The number of injured has not been disclosed. Following this, on Wednesday, September 20, law enforcement used tear gas against Azarab workers inside the factory, with footage of the incident also circulating on social media. The anti-riot guard's attack on workers has drawn criticism from several labor organizations, including the Free Workers Union of Iran, the Syndicate of Workers of the Tehran Bus Company, and the Syndicate of Workers of Haft Tappeh Sugarcane Company. The treatment of workers in Iran is not new, as security forces have repeatedly attacked workers' gatherings, injuring or arresting them. In recent years, dozens of workers have been sentenced to prison or even flogged for holding labor gatherings. Additionally, dozens of Haft Tappeh workers have been arrested or summoned to court in recent weeks for participating in labor protests, and several have been dismissed by the private employer of the company. These actions have drawn criticism from labor organizations in Iran as well as labor unions and human rights organizations worldwide. Meanwhile, according to ILNA, in the second meeting of the ministers of industry, mining, labor, and economy on Saturday, October 1, a resolution regarding the issues of the Hepco and Azarab factories in Arak was approved. According to this report, in this meeting regarding the status of Hepco, the "Privatization Organization was tasked with paying all the debts of this factory to the workers in the coming days and to oversee the performance of the new shareholder of Hepco." Previously, Hepco workers had protested the inability of the new shareholder of the factory and demanded the return of ownership of this unit to the government. In recent years, reports have emerged regarding the problems of factories transferred to the private sector, with their workers calling for their ownership to be returned to the government. However, the government of Hassan Rouhani has opposed this demand. Concurrently with this meeting, Hepco workers held a protest gathering in front of the Central Governorate building in Arak. In this context, according to ILNA, Ali Rabiei, the Minister of Cooperation, Labor, and Social Welfare, requested Ahmad Moshirian, the Deputy for Labor Relations of this ministry, to provide a comprehensive report on the causes and reasons for the recent labor protests and the unpleasant incidents that occurred, as well as solutions to address the issues.