Protests Against Government Approach; Two Members of the Supreme Labor Council: Regional Wages Will Undermine Workers

Following the insistence of government representatives to set regional wages for workers next year, two 'worker members' of the Supreme Labor Council protested this issue, stating that regional wages will ultimately weaken workers' purchasing power even further. Mohammad Reza Tajik, a member of the Wage Committee of the Supreme Labor Council, told ILNA news agency that first, the livelihood basket should be calculated, and wages should be determined based on that, and only then should regional wages and sectoral wages be considered for higher wages. He added that the discussion of regional wages requires necessary infrastructure and a series of prerequisites that are currently not in place. Mohsen Bagheri also emphasized that 'the regional wage plan contradicts the law of the Social Security Organization, global standards, and labor law.' These statements come at a time when the performance of 'worker members' of the Supreme Labor Council, especially last year, has faced numerous criticisms from activists and labor and professional organizations, even those that operate with government permission. The minimum monthly wage for workers covered by labor law, married and with children, was set at around 8 million tomans at the end of last year, while the cost of living in Iranian cities was estimated to be between 20 to 30 million tomans. Meanwhile, the Pensioners' Union wrote in their Telegram channel about regional wages that this 'anti-worker act is becoming a law of oppression and double exploitation, where in this unequal equation, the worker is disarmed from the beginning as they are not given any room for bargaining and agreement.' This organization emphasized that 'in this unequal equation, there is no independent labor organization like a union or syndicate that can defend their rights under the title of representing workers.' The first meeting of the Wage Determination Committee of the Supreme Labor Council was held on January 15, which ended without results due to the insistence of the Ministry of Economy and other government representatives for 'regional wages' and determining wages based on industries, and the opposition of worker representatives to this issue. Intensified criticisms of the Guardian Council's approval of the bill to increase retirement age and service years, media reactions to 70 million tomans salaries for managers and 10 million tomans for employees: 'bribery and corruption' are becoming more widespread. Opposition to 'regional wages' left the first meeting of the 'Wage Committee' without results. Protests over the livelihoods of telecommunications retirees in several provinces of Iran: half salaries, silence is the same.