Head of Iran's Union of Contract and Temporary Workers: 20 Million Workers Lack Job Security

The head of the Union of Contract and Temporary Workers in Iran has emphasized the lack of job security and the disorganization of labor contracts, stating that currently about 20 million workers in the country suffer from job insecurity. Fathollah Bayat, the head of the union, mentioned that the Iranian labor community consists of 15 million formal workers and 5 million informal workers, with approximately 96% of formal workers employed under temporary contracts. According to unofficial statistics, there are about 5 million informal workers without any job contracts who do not appear in the country's employment lists. The Tasnim news agency, affiliated with the IRGC, reported that workers in clothing production, service centers, and doctors' offices are among the informal workers who work under blank contracts or even with promissory notes, committing to have no claims or dues from their employers. Bayat stated that all these groups, including 'officially formal' workers with 'illegal' temporary contracts and informal workers without contracts, share a common concern regarding job security. He emphasized that about 20 million workers provide for their families under conditions of job insecurity and are constantly worried about the future. According to the laws of the Islamic Republic, as of February 2023, all those who have been employed for four years should have their contracts converted to 'permanent contracts.' However, Rahim Mirabdollah, a member of the Islamic Labor Council of Tehran Province, explained the existing obstacles, noting that currently 'most workers' do not have written contracts. In recent years and months, workers from various production and service units across the country have repeatedly protested and gone on strike regarding their contractual issues, especially the temporary nature of their contracts. Many labor activists have faced security and police responses from the Islamic Republic for peacefully demanding their minimum legal rights, including timely payment of wages, having work contracts, or enjoying job security. These rulings have consistently been criticized by labor organizations and activists. The minimum monthly wage for workers covered by labor law, who are married and have children, is about 8 million tomans per month, while statistics indicate that the cost of living for a household ranges between 20 to 31 million tomans. The expansion of slum housing; the Research Center of the Parliament: 6 million people have 'informal' housing. Continuing labor incidents in Iran; the death of a young man in Kurdistan and the death of two people at the Parand power plant. Declining purchasing power in Iran; 70% of workers are 'dual job holders.' The Revolutionary Court of Ahvaz sentenced 17 protesting workers of the National Steel Company to flogging.