Neglect by the Ministry of Labor and 96% of Workers on Temporary Contracts

Temporary contracts in Iran's labor market have always faced criticism, but with the increase in the population of temporary workers reaching 96% and the Ministry of Labor's lack of attention to this issue, labor organizations are seeking a legal obligation for employers to sign permanent contracts. A labor activist stated that the only way to change the current situation is to annul the ruling 179 of the Administrative Justice Court and require all employers in the country to sign permanent contracts. This refers to a directive issued in the early 1990s that allowed temporary contracts for continuous work. Complaints were made at that time, but ultimately, the General Board of the Administrative Justice Court not only did not annul the Ministry of Labor's directive but also deemed it legal. The news agency 'Tasnim' reported on October 1 that the government has submitted a bill to the parliament to annul ruling 179. This bill comes at a time when, according to 'Tasnim', only 3 to 4 percent of workers have permanent contracts. Fathollah Bayat, the head of the Union of Contractual and Temporary Workers of Iran, also told the 'ILNA' news agency that the government has not provided any statistics; 'Even the Ministry of Labor has not published specific statistics in this regard, and this lack of data has its own clear reasons.' According to Bayat, today at least 96% of the working population in the country has temporary contracts. Workers are working under temporary contracts, which has imposed many unfair conditions on them due to the lack of job security. Alongside this issue, the mismatch between wages and current living costs has also created livelihood problems for them. The head of the Union of Contractual and Temporary Workers of Iran stated that 20 million workers lack job security. There is ambiguity regarding the legal obligation for 'permanent contracts for workers'; a labor activist noted that most workers do not have written contracts. Strikes by workers in the Abadan petrochemical plant and Razih Company; temporary employees of the Ministry of Oil gathered. The death of six workers trapped in the 'Tarzeh Mine' in Damghan; the Minister of Interior stated: it was an unexpected incident. Labor gatherings protested the seventh development plan; Reza Shahabi: they unveiled 'modern slavery'.