Over 13,000 Demand 70% Increase in Minimum Wage for Next Year

More than 13,000 individuals have called for a "70% increase in the minimum wage for the year 1404". According to a letter published on the "Kargozar" website, the reason for the demand for a 70% increase in the minimum wage is to "compensate for the wage lag behind inflation from the years 1390 to 1403". The letter states: "Only by meeting this condition, that is, a 70% increase in the minimum wage in 1404, can we hope to address the historical gap between wages and livelihood in the coming years." Currently, the monthly minimum wage for workers covered by labor law, who are married and have children, is less than 11 million tomans. According to several government media outlets, this wage is not paid to workers who are not covered by labor law. In this regard, Hamidreza Imam Qolitabaar, an inspector of the Supreme Assembly of Workers' Representatives, told Tasnim News Agency that even some workers receive between 7 to 8 million tomans. Additionally, see: A member of the Wage Committee of the Supreme Labor Council stated that the monthly livelihood basket has reached 38 million tomans. According to labor activists and organizations, the current monthly livelihood basket is more than 35 million tomans. Meanwhile, according to Hamidreza Imam Qolitabaar, the livelihood basket is about 40 million tomans. This is while the Wage Committee of the Supreme Labor Council of the Islamic Republic of Iran, citing the inflation rate announced by government institutions, has declared the monthly livelihood basket to be 23 million and 441 thousand tomans. This figure has been confirmed by the "worker representatives" of the Supreme Labor Council, who are members of official labor organizations. This action has been criticized by some social media users, including in Telegram channels. For example, these representatives have been called "subsidized" and "helpless". Another user wrote: "In recent years, they have certainly played a role as mere extras and have been completely formalistic." One user also wrote: "What positive actions have these so-called representatives taken to improve the situation of workers?" According to Article 41 of the Labor Law, the monthly minimum wage for workers must be determined based on the inflation rate and the cost of living for a household. Labor activists and organizations have repeatedly emphasized that in recent years, the clause related to the monthly cost of living has been ignored by the Supreme Labor Council. The low wages in Iran have been one of the reasons for the spread of protests by workers and other wage earners in various regions of Iran. These protests have been on the rise in recent years despite the security and judicial crackdowns by the Islamic Republic.