Protests by Hospital Workers and Retirees in Various Cities in Iran

A number of workers, retirees, and hospital staff protested on Tuesday, June 9, against job conditions and pension fund regulations. Some miners in Kerman and Yazd provinces criticized the government's move to raise the retirement age for hard and hazardous jobs. Before the approval of the Seventh Development Plan by the government, workers in hard jobs could retire after 20 years of continuous employment. According to ILNA news agency, the Seventh Development Plan disregards previous regulations by reducing the 'maximum concessional years for workers in hazardous jobs from 10 years to 7 years' and setting a minimum retirement age, forcing workers in such jobs to continue working until reaching a specified age. In the Seventh Development Plan, the minimum retirement age for hard job workers is set at 45 for women and 50 for men. The Ministry of Labor and Health has classified 110 jobs as hard and hazardous, including work in mines, closed tanks such as wells and sewage, continuous work near melting furnaces, and the transfer and storage of manure in livestock and poultry farms. Simultaneously, a number of retirees from the Sarcheshmeh Copper Complex protested again against the transfer of the private copper fund to the Ministry of Cooperatives and Welfare in front of the Presidential Office. The Sarcheshmeh Copper Pension Fund was transferred to the Ministry of Welfare without the consent of shareholders in late 2021. The retirees consider the assets of this fund as their years of savings and have called for the preservation of the independence of the private copper fund, labeling the government's decision as 'unilateral.' Additionally, some employees of the Nabi Akram Social Security Hospital in Assaluyeh gathered to protest the removal of certain job benefits at the hospital. The protesters claimed that the removal of benefits such as meal allowances during shifts and ticket rights has reduced work motivation and failed to cover living expenses. The increasing inflation, historically rising prices of essential goods, and rising housing costs have put a growing number of people in Iran under increasing pressure. In recent years, many groups, including teachers, workers, and retirees, have held protests against their living conditions. These protests are often met with security forces' crackdowns and the arrest of some protesters, escalating into violence.