Protests by Oil and Gas Workers in Southern Iran Continue; No News on 'Organization'

ILNA, a news agency affiliated with the government-backed 'House of Workers', reported that following delays in the removal of contractors and the transition of permanent workers to 'specific contracts', a new wave of protests by project and permanent workers in the southern oil, gas, and third-party sectors has begun. According to this report, this new protest campaign, with the slogan 'All Workers Share the Same Table' and named '14-14', started on June 21, 2024, among project workers in refineries, petrochemicals, and other oil and gas centers and third-party sectors. Reports indicate that protesting workers, after the start of this campaign, have laid down their tools and returned home. The goals of this campaign are stated to be the elimination of contractors from the oil, gas, and power sectors, the implementation of a 14-day work and 14-day leave plan, and wage increases. As reported by ILNA, at least three thousand project, contractual, third-party workers, and 25 other companies have joined this campaign. This protest has also elicited reactions, including reports from Alireza Mir Ghaffari, a member of the Supreme Labor Council, about threatening text messages sent by contractors to protesting workers. Published reports show that many workers are pursuing the issue of the government employee organization plan. Teachers, telecommunications workers, employees of the Ministry of Electricity, employees of the Ministry of Oil, municipal workers, and workers from other sectors are seeking the implementation of the organization plan, but after three delays in parliament and the eventual approval of this law, the Expediency Discernment Council has kept it pending and has not made a decision. Vali Esmaeili, head of the Social Commission of Parliament, announced on May 25 that the government employee organization plan is still awaiting approval from the Expediency Discernment Council. Some experts and critics believe this delay is due to the powerful lobbying of contractors, which has led the Expediency Discernment Council to inaction, as the final approval and implementation of the government employee organization plan would completely eliminate contracting companies and jeopardize many interests. One of the opponents' arguments is Esmaeili's statement that 'all ambiguities and objections of the Guardian Council to the government employee organization plan have been resolved in parliament, and this commission's resolution has no objections from the Guardian Council.' The Expediency Discernment Council believes that this plan contradicts some 'general policies of the system', and the Guardian Council also had objections to this plan, including the use of the term 'restaurant' instead of 'dining hall'. According to the provisions of the government employee organization plan, employees hired through 'contractors' will completely exit the contracting status and will contract directly with their organization or institution and its support department. Since the implementation of this plan prohibits any type of contract by the relevant agencies to provide manpower with non-governmental legal entities, experts believe that due to the influence and power of contracting companies, there are obstacles in various agencies to prevent the implementation of this plan. The strikes of project workers at the Jahanpars Isfahan Refinery, the special petrochemical zone of Salman Farsi, and the oil field of Cheshmeh Khosh in Ilam continue, with over 2,200 workers in various oil and gas industries in southern Iran still on strike.