International Workers' Day in Tehran; 'Protest Against Temporary Employment Contracts'

The International Workers' Day ceremony was held on Saturday, May 1st, with thousands of workers marching in Tehran. This march was organized by the House of Workers, one of the official labor organizations. According to ILNA news agency, participants in this march carried placards and banners demanding reforms to temporary employment contracts, support for Iranian goods, the operationalization of production and a resilient economy, attention to the professional demands of workers and teachers, and recognition of the right to freedom of labor activities. In this event, Hassan Sadeghi, head of the Union of Veteran Workers, raised the question of why there should be chaos in labor relations in an Islamic country like Iran, adding, 'Why is determining a sufficient wage for workers facing serious obstacles?' He stated that the minimums have been taken from the workforce, saying, 'We are witnessing a cycle of nullity in labor relations regarding social security, not witnessing job security and livelihood for retirees. Where in the world does a worker work 15 or 17 hours but belongs to the lower deciles of society?' Previously, the Mehr news agency reported that the monthly wages of workers only cover about 10 days of their and their families' needs. According to ILNA, Hassan Sadeghi noted that 'governments have never considered themselves obligated to fulfill their duties towards workers.' He said, 'We expect the Rouhani government to speak to us more kindly. For example, while recognizing the right to protest without permission for workers is commendable, it is not enough.' The head of the Union of Veteran Workers called for a view of workers that 'is accompanied by respect and preservation of the status of the workforce' and 'transformation in the wage system.' He further described temporary employment contracts as 'slavery' and criticized the Ministry of Cooperatives, Labor, and Social Welfare for not preventing this new form of slavery. According to reports from news agencies in Iran, between 85% to 90% of workers have temporary employment contracts. Activists and labor organizations state that workers under temporary contracts lack job security. According to ILNA, the head of the Union of Veteran Workers called for the regulation of temporary contracts. Hassan Sadeghi also discussed issues in the retirement sector, stating that governments have, in his description, created the conditions for the bankruptcy of social security through negligence. He warned that if the issues with workers' insurance funds are not resolved, the biggest challenge of the year 1400 (2021) will be the social security crisis and insurance funds. Mr. Sadeghi also announced that if workers' demands are ignored, a gathering will be held in front of the parliament. Alireza Mohajoub, the Secretary-General of the House of Workers and a member of parliament, also mentioned during this event that workers demand job security. The Union of Workers of the Tehran Bus Company reported on Saturday the temporary detention of two of its members during the International Workers' Day ceremony organized by the House of Workers. According to the website of this labor organization, several members of the Union of Workers of the Tehran Bus Company participated in this event with independent slogans and carried placards bearing the union's emblem with slogans such as 'Fair wages are our legitimate right,' 'Imprisoned workers must be freed,' and 'Union is our legitimate right.' According to this report, security police detained Rasoul Taleb Moghadam and Nasser Moharramzadeh, two members of the Union of Workers of the Tehran Bus Company, after collecting the placards and released them after the International Workers' Day ceremony ended. The Union of Workers of the Tehran Bus Company emphasized that gathering and protesting on International Workers' Day is the legitimate right of all workers and condemned what it called 'police, security, and judicial actions against participants in the International Workers' Day ceremony.' Previously, the Free Workers' Union of Iran and the Coordination Committee for Helping to Establish Labor Organizations reported that several members of these two organizations in Sanandaj were summoned by security and law enforcement agencies and were told they do not have the right to hold International Workers' Day ceremonies. In previous years, many members of labor organizations in Tehran and several other cities in Iran have been detained and imprisoned on the eve of International Workers' Day or during the ceremonies of this day.