Nurses' Strike Continues Despite Government Crackdown; Iranian Labor Unions Support Healthcare Workers' Protests

As the strike and protests by nurses continue in dozens of public hospitals across Iran on Tuesday, August 30, labor unions, teachers, and retirees expressed their support for their demands and criticized the government's actions against protesting nurses. According to videos shared on social media, nurses at 'Peymanieh' Hospital in Jahrom, 'Taleghani' Hospital in Abadan, '22 Bahman' Hospital in Nishapur, Hamadan University of Medical Sciences, and 'Ibn Sina', 'Hashemi Nejad', and 'Imam Reza' hospitals in Mashhad demanded attention to their professional demands during their strike and protest. Additionally, midwives in Mashhad gathered to protest their working and living conditions. A number of emergency service workers in Mashhad and Nishapur also protested their working and living conditions. Among the slogans chanted by the protesting nurses was 'Incompetent official - resign, resign.' Protests by nurses initially began in Alborz province and then spread to various regions of Iran. According to a video published by the 'Civil Protest Market' channel, the strike and protest of the healthcare staff at 'Imam Reza' Hospital in Mashhad continued for the fourth day despite security forces attacking the gathering of nurses, but 'they could not do anything.' Earlier, the Mehr News Agency reported that Ehsan Anqi, the cultural and social deputy of the Islamic Republic's police in Markazi province, said on Tuesday, August 29, that two individuals he referred to as 'disturbers' at the nurses' gathering in Arak were arrested. This police official claimed that these two were 'not part of the healthcare staff.' On Tuesday, a video was released showing nurses protesting against the arrest of an individual by government agents. Meanwhile, the 'Nursing System of Mashhad' issued a statement on Tuesday, referring to the ongoing protests by nurses in Mashhad, stating that 'any harassment and inappropriate actions' against them would 'intensify the protests.' The statement emphasized the continuation of emergency and vital services to patients by nurses and supported all their 'legal' demands, including 'consideration of bonuses based on nursing actions similar to the tariffs of other healthcare colleagues,' 'the necessity of transparency in tariffs,' and 'increased salaries and special allowances and overtime pay based on each person's mandatory hours according to the productivity enhancement law and issuance of new legal rulings.' The Nursing System of Mashhad also called for 'fair access to all existing welfare facilities in hospitals and healthcare centers' and 'the elimination of dual treatment and the condescending view towards nurses,' adding that if these demands are not met, they would be forced to announce the collective resignation of the board members of the Nursing System and stand alongside the nurses. Meanwhile, the Telegram channel 'Post Keshik' (Club of Medical Sciences Students of the Country) wrote: 'The recent protests by nurses have reached a critical and widespread level due to deep dissatisfaction with the health system and ongoing problems in the nursing field.' This Telegram channel noted that following the protests by nurses in various hospitals in Iran, including Amir Alam Hospital in Tehran, several of them were dismissed for participating in these protests, adding: 'This manner of dealing with individuals who had peaceful professional protests has led to intensified dissatisfaction and broader protests within the nursing community.' On the other hand, Mohammad Sharifi-Moqaddam, the Secretary-General of the Nurses' House, stated in an interview with 'Khabar Online' that migration is one of the options for nurses, adding: 'Another option is changing jobs. Many nurses are moving to freelance work and saying they feel relieved from nursing.' Mr. Sharifi-Moqaddam pointed out that driving for Snapp (a ride-hailing service) pays twice as much as nursing, and said: 'Our hospitals were already short of nurses before these strikes, and some hospitals do not open due to a lack of nurses.' He emphasized: 'Nurses know that when they strike and are threatened with dismissal, they say, fine, dismiss us. This means the situation has reached a point where it doesn't matter to nurses if they are dismissed for striking.' Meanwhile, according to the newspaper 'Ham Mihan', Ali Jafarzadeh, head of the Health Ministry's committee in the government's steering council, described the 'diminishing hope in the nursing community' as 'terrifying' regarding the situation of nurses' migration or job abandonment. He added: 'We are facing a wave of nurses migrating to Germany. Nurses are learning German alternately to be able to leave the country. With one German language certificate, they can leave the country.' This Islamic Republic official said: 'New hospitals have been built at Tehran University of Medical Sciences, but many of their sections are inactive due to a lack of nursing staff,' and added: 'We have been waiting for a year to recruit staff for the vascular surgery department at Imam Khomeini Hospital. The University of Medical Sciences is trying, but there are no applicants.' Support from labor organizations for nurses' protests The Coordination Council of Iranian Teachers' Unions wrote that 'this hardworking sector has become fed up with discrimination and has decided to take their rights through collective action from the government.' In the council's statement, referring to the nurses' dissatisfaction with unmet demands and promises, it stated that nurses are fed up with mandatory overtime that has led to burnout and are demanding a change in their employment status. This national teachers' organization identified the root causes of nurses' problems and the crisis in the health system as 'the overarching policies of the government in the economic sphere aimed at widespread commodification in social areas, especially in health and education,' adding that this approach 'is extremely profit-oriented and seeks cheap labor.' It noted that the government 'instead of responding to the demands of various sectors, is trying to suppress and crush protesters against the current situation with an iron fist.' The Coordination Council of Iranian Teachers' Unions pointed out that 'the non-payment of wages above the poverty line is not only a problem for nurses but also workers, teachers, and retirees are demanding fair wages,' and added: 'The demand for job security and efforts to change employment status are ongoing from hospitals to petrochemical factories, and nurses want the same things that service-purchase teachers and workers in oil and gas projects want.' In another part of its statement, the council emphasized: 'The path to fundamental change that secures the rights of the majority of society lies in independent organization.' In addition to the Coordination Council of Iranian Teachers' Unions, several teachers' unions have supported the nurses' protests and demands. The Syndicate of Workers of Tehran and Suburbs Bus Company also announced support for 'the strikes and protests of nurses and healthcare staff across the country,' emphasizing that 'the solution for workers and the working class is unity and organization.' The Retirees' Alliance also described the recent protests in the history of nursing as 'an unprecedented action' and wrote: 'However, the response to these waves of protests has been the presence of law enforcement to suppress and confront nurses and healthcare staff to prevent the continuation of protests, as well as the silence of the Ministry of Health and hospital shareholders.' The Retirees' Alliance noted that 'the Ministry of Health views nurses as commodities,' adding that a large number of nurses are seeking to stabilize their status from temporary workers to permanent employment to ensure job security. Additionally, the Iranian Retirees' Council expressed support for the nurses' protests, stating that nurses, as part of the workforce, play a decisive role in the public health of society, and the welfare and satisfaction of this working class is an unavoidable necessity for a standard and efficient healthcare system. This council pointed out that any deficiency, negligence, shortage, dissatisfaction, and economic pressure on nurses poses a serious threat and harm to the public health of society. Furthermore, the Syndicate of Workers of Haft Tappeh Sugarcane, the independent channel of Haft Tappeh workers, and progressive students have supported the nurses' protests. Meanwhile, retirees from the government alongside retirees from social security and telecommunications in Kermanshah held a protest rally to express their support for the nurses' protests. In this rally, slogans were chanted, including 'Nurse's livelihood - saving the patient's life,' 'Nurse's slavery - autumn of the patient's life,' and 'Awake nurse, friend and companion of the patient.' Protesting nurses in Hamadan: 'We fought with Corona, we received no support.' March and protest of nurses in Mashhad: 'Nurse, shout out, demand your right.' Protest of nurses at Shariati Hospital: 'Without nurses, the system collapses.' On the line: Unprecedented protests by nurses in Ahvaz, Mashhad, Isfahan, and several other cities in Iran. 'The nurses' strike could be the precursor to protests from other professions,' explains Kambiz Ghafouri. Images of clashes between law enforcement and protesting nurses in Arak. Clashes between law enforcement and protesting nurses in Arak; 'Law enforcement, you will also be hospitalized.' More images from the protests of nurses in Khuzestan: 'From Shiraz to Ahvaz, strike.'