Protest Gathering of Thousands of Contract Workers at South Pars

Reports from various media outlets and labor Telegram channels indicate that thousands of contract workers from refineries in South Pars held a gathering on Tuesday, December 25. According to the Council for Organizing Protests of Informal Oil Workers (Arkan Salis), 5,000 workers protested against the non-fulfillment of their demands and the unfulfilled promises of officials in front of the South Pars Gas Complex. Among the workers' demands were 'the complete elimination of contracting companies, the right to organize and hold gatherings and protests, an end to the atmosphere of intimidation and repression, and the reinstatement of Yasir Ahmadinejad, a protesting worker.' The protesting workers also called for 'the proper implementation of the job classification plan and the wage parity system with official workers, the organization of drivers' status, the organization of commuting for administrative and support workers, and the implementation of previous agreements regarding entitled leave and camp fees.' According to the report, 'intelligence, security, and plainclothes agents' of the Islamic Republic were present around the gathering site 'between Cactus Square and the entrance to the special economic zone at specified distances, but due to the large crowd of workers, they did not enter the gathering area.' The council noted: 'The power of unity and the achievements of protests and strikes by oil workers, specifically in South Pars, have allowed colleagues to overcome security and military conditions, and the oil protests are set to impose demands and changes in conditions on the minimal owners of power and capital alongside other social movements.' The Telegram channel 'Kargah' also noted that this was the 'third unified gathering of South Pars workers,' adding that they gathered in protest of the 'non-fulfillment of government promises' after 16 separate weekly gatherings and two unified gatherings on December 27 and December 20 went unanswered. According to the Kargah channel, contract workers chanted 'from slogans to action, unfulfilled promises' and 'one word, one word, wage without discrimination, peace and blessings.' The ILNA news agency also reported that the number of participants was 'about 3,000.' ILNA reported that contract workers at Wagon Pars in Arak protested against the management policies of this factory. These workers stated that the contracts of about 50 contract workers at this factory were not renewed, and the employer has laid them off, leaving them unemployed since Sunday, December 23. This situation and the living conditions of the dismissed workers led one dismissed worker to attempt suicide on Tuesday, December 24, which his colleagues prevented. According to the report, the contract workers at Wagon Pars in Arak, numbering about 500, are currently worried about their job future and say that more layoffs are likely before the New Year. Contract workers in various regions of Iran have repeatedly held gatherings and strikes in recent years, demanding improvements in their living conditions, particularly the elimination of contracting companies and direct contracts with the workers themselves. In this context, one can refer to a protest letter from over 3,300 employees and contract workers of the Telecommunications Company to the Minister of Communications earlier this year. In this protest letter, they referred to the privatization of the Telecommunications Company, stating: 'Workers and technical experts of the Telecommunications Company have signed very flawed contracts with local contractors filled with legal issues (due to a lack of awareness of their basic rights).' The result of this situation, according to the signatories of the letter, was that 'each contractor, in turn, deducted from rights, benefits, insurance, etc., without any notice or oversight from higher authorities, and given the absence of a reliable and responsive authority within the company, continued their activities with ease.' A member of the Islamic Consultative Assembly stated: 'Contracting companies receive 3 to 4 million tomans per worker each month.' The letter also mentioned that after years, the management of the Telecommunications Company took action to 'consolidate contracting companies and register contracts with a unified contractor across the country,' noting that the terms of the contract have remained 'hidden and concealed' from all personnel to this day. The protest letter stated: 'Human resource contracting companies that actually live off the rights and benefits of the employees and workers and skilled experts of this company act without any accountability and fear, taking actions that the labor community of telecommunications is willing to revert to the same flawed and illegal local contractor.' The telecommunications contract workers wrote in their letter: 'Companies like Avval Services, Sheskaam, and Taha have acted in such strange ways that we have faced difficulties in leading a normal life, let alone living below the poverty line, for such a large and highly profitable company.' Nevertheless, according to ILNA, the plan to organize the employment of government employees has been stalled for months in the Expediency Council, and with the halt of this plan, the prospect of eliminating contractors and intermediaries has also darkened.