Detention and Release of 10 Workers in Assaluyeh 'After Providing a Commitment'

Ten workers from phases 23 and 24 of Assaluyeh, who were detained in protest against delays in receiving their wages, were released after providing a commitment. No reports have been published yet regarding the fate of those detained from the Green Industry Office in Sabzevar. According to ILNA news agency, these 10 individuals were detained by law enforcement on Tuesday, January 22, and were released the same evening after providing a commitment. The news agency reported that simultaneously with the release of these individuals, 'nearly a month of wage claims of these workers' was also paid. ILNA reported that in recent days, contract workers from phases 23 and 24 in this region have held union gatherings demanding the payment of their overdue wages. These workers, numbering about a thousand, have been working as painters and insulators in this part of Assaluyeh, and a significant number of them have been waiting for their overdue wages since the summer. ILNA reported that in recent days, about 400 of these workers refrained from attending their workplace to pursue their wage arrears and held a gathering. Iranian media have reported an increase in workers' gatherings in various cities of Iran over the past week in protest against months-long delays in receiving their wages. Workers from municipal offices in several cities in Iran are among those who have held multiple gatherings in the past month to demand their overdue wages. In recent years, dozens of protesting workers or employees in Iran have been detained by security forces, and some of them have been sentenced to imprisonment. One of the latest incidents involves the detention of several protesting employees from the Industry, Mine, and Trade Office in Sabzevar. Local websites reported that on Tuesday (January 22), a number of protesting employees blocked the entrance to this office, preventing Ali Omidbakhsh, the head of the Industry, Mine, and Trade Office in Sabzevar, from entering his workplace. 'Customary dealings,' 'subjective implementation of regulations,' and 'improper favoritism' were among the main complaints of the employees against the head of the office. Local media reported that the head of the Industry, Mine, and Trade Office in Sabzevar also requested law enforcement to detain four protesting employees in response to this action. The Basir Sabzevar website stated that 'electoral activities in the office, favoritism, and poor performance' were the main reasons for the employees' protests against this office head. In response to these protests, Omidbakhsh stated that the protesting employees 'have a very bad, ugly, and disgusting attitude towards the people. The people are our benefactors, not our laborers.' Omidbakhsh added, 'Their view {of the protesting employees} is that of an inspector. When someone comes and is seeking investment, their hand should be kissed, not treated like an animal.' He further stated, 'People come and have expectations and demands, and their work should be done, but they do not do their job. The expertise in this office is weak, and the behavior towards the people needs to be corrected.'