Drill for Confronting 'Disruptive' Workers Held in Northern Iran

As labor sit-ins and protests are spreading in cities across Iran, the IRGC and Basij forces in the city of Kalaleh, Golestan province, have conducted a drill to confront 'disruptive workers.' The local site 'Kalaleh News' published news and images related to this drill on Friday, February 5. This drill was organized by the 'Beit al-Muqaddas' battalions affiliated with the Basij of Golestan province to ensure the 'complete readiness of Basij forces' to counter labor protests. The published images show a reconstructed workers' protest being attacked by Basij forces, resulting in the arrest of protesting workers. The 'Beit al-Muqaddas' battalions are the military arm of the 'Shajareh Tayyibeh Salehin' circles of the Basij organization, and according to IRGC commanders, these battalions were formed after the controversial 2009 elections from six thousand 'Ashura' and 'Al-Zahra' battalions. Following the street protests of that year, the Basij force was organized into a formal entity, and to counter potential similar protests, three significant security and military battalions named 'Imam Ali,' 'Imam Hussein,' and 'Beit al-Muqaddas' were established. The primary duty of these military battalions is to confront street protests, and to prepare for this, dozens of drills have been held in streets, mountains, plains, and beaches across various cities in Iran. These drills are conducted on average every week in Iranian cities, while labor sit-ins and protests have become the most significant public and occupational protests in Iran. Workers in several cities have gathered in protests against the conditions of their contracts and months-long delays in their wages in front of the parliament, governorates, local administrations, or their workplaces, demanding attention to their situations. The latest of these protests involved a sit-in and march on Saturday morning, February 6, by about 200 workers from the Mazandaran textile factory. The Fars news agency reported that the workers, protesting their delayed wages, marched from 'Army Boulevard' in Sari to the Mazandaran governorate to hold a sit-in. It has been about two weeks since the arrest of 28 workers from the Khatunabad copper mine in Kerman province. According to the Teachers and Workers Rights website, these workers were transferred to Babak city prison by special forces one day after their arrest during their protest gathering. The report states that the management of the Khatunabad copper complex held a recruitment test in October, hiring only 150 out of approximately 300 workers, leaving the rest unemployed. The Teachers and Workers Rights website noted that the test was held despite a resolution from the Babak city security council mandating that all workers should be hired and no layoffs should occur. Following the test and the layoffs, the workers' gatherings in recent months have led to these widespread arrests. This arrest has prompted protests from several labor organizations, including the International Alliance in Support of Workers in Iran, the Coordination Committee for the Establishment of Labor Organizations, and the Syndicate of Metalworkers, who have called for the immediate release of the detainees. The news agency also reported a significant presence of police and security forces to control these protests. The local site 'Gham News' also reported that workers and contractors from the Iran Sadra Marine Company in Bushehr protested on February 6 for the third time in front of the Bushehr governorate due to eight months of unpaid wages. Labor protests in Iran have significantly increased due to the government's dwindling resources amid international sanctions in recent years, and government officials hope to pay a substantial part of their debts to companies, factories, retirees, and workers if sanctions are lifted.