Fifth Day of Strike at National Steel Group in Ahvaz; Workers Prevent Entry of Managers and Exit of Products

The Telegram channel "Independent Voice of Workers of National Steel Group" reported the continuation of the strike and protests by workers of this large industrial complex in Ahvaz on Saturday, March 5. According to this report, workers of the National Industrial Steel Group of Iran continued their strike for the fifth day in protest against "suspension from work and preventing the entry of several of their protesting colleagues and the incomplete implementation of the job classification plan." The Independent Voice of Workers of National Steel wrote: In this round of the strike, workers blocked all the company's doors and prevented managers from entering the company as well as the exit of products. The strike has continued under conditions where the management of the National Industrial Steel Group of Iran, owned by the National Bank of Iran, issued an order on Wednesday, March 2, to prevent the entry of several other protesting workers. Workers of the National Industrial Steel Group of Iran have repeatedly criticized the management of this complex and their occupational issues in recent years, but officials in Ahvaz County, Khuzestan Province, and the government have so far refrained from fully addressing the workers' demands. Previously, workers of the National Industrial Steel Group in Ahvaz had also gone on strike for a week in January of this year to address their demands. The independent channel of Haft Tappeh workers reported that workers of "M.D.F" Haft Tappeh gathered on Saturday in protest against the management's failure to respond to their demands. Some of the demands raised in previous gatherings included "ensuring a safe work environment, providing suitable and safe transportation for workers and their families, implementing the classification plan, equalizing wages, resolving issues with organizational housing, and converting seasonal workers' contracts and other demands."