Government Discrimination in 'Command Economy'; A Labor Activist: Female Workers Are Deprived of 'Remote Work'

A labor activist has announced that the Ministry of Cooperatives, Labor, and Social Welfare of the Islamic Republic lacks the capacity to issue a 'remote work directive' for women employed in the 'private sector.' Simin Yaqoubian, a labor activist, pointed out that 'directives and instructions are issued daily for women working in the government,' and told the ILNA news agency that the lack of similar measures for women in the private sector constitutes 'discrimination.' She stated that during the COVID-19 pandemic, the private sector did not understand the meaning of 'remote work' and that 'workers risked their lives and property' for what was termed 'economic jihad.' She added that remote work was 'well implemented' for executive and governmental bodies, but several female workers lost their lives during this period. Although the Constitution of the Islamic Republic recognizes the 'private sector' alongside state and cooperative sectors in its Article 44, the overall economic policies of Iran have been determined by governmental institutions with direct intervention from the state for the past four decades. Meanwhile, female workers in Iran face greater risks compared to other working women in other countries, including the mandatory use of 'hijab' during work, which has led to injuries, amputations, or deaths of several workers over the years. In this context, on November 6, 2021, Iranian media reported that a 21-year-old female worker named 'Marzieh Taherian' in a spinning workshop in Semnan had her scarf caught in a machine, which subsequently pulled her head into the device! On June 5 of this year, a 26-year-old female worker lost her life while working with a plastic injection machine in a workshop in Nishapur due to her shawl getting caught and being pulled into the machine. Simin Yaqoubian believes that 'female workers' criticize the existence of 'discriminations' and that the Ministry of Cooperatives, Labor, and Social Welfare, as the 'main authority for employment,' should be able to issue 'binding directives' to support women and 'oblige employers to comply with them.' Many issues related to workers in various sectors of the Iranian economy, including the determination of 'minimum annual wages,' are directly dictated and communicated by governmental institutions. Protests continue in Iran; at least ten protests occurred on Sunday, May 28. A statement from 15 trade unions: 'The revolutionary movement of the Iranian people' remains 'alive and dynamic.' A group of human rights activists called for the complete elimination of discrimination against women in Iran. A World Bank report on the status of women's business indicates that the Islamic Republic of Iran ranks fifth from the bottom.