Reports of Security and Administrative Crackdowns on Protesting Workers of the National Steel Group

Reports from Ahvaz indicate security and administrative crackdowns on several workers of the National Industrial Steel Group of Iran, with a labor organization stating that some workers of this complex have been banned from entering. The Free Workers Union of Iran has announced that the employer 'is blocking the entry cards of several workers to exert pressure and suppress them' starting from Wednesday, April 22. According to the report, among those banned from entering are Karim Siyahi, Peyman Shajerati, Rahim Saeedi, and Hamed Basari. Additionally, the Free Workers Union of Iran reported that on Wednesday, 'Hafez Kananian, one of the workers of the National Industrial Steel Group of Iran, was summoned to the police for information and security and was released after several hours of interrogation.' On Thursday, April 23, the police also visited the homes of three workers from the National Group in Ahvaz for what the Free Workers Union of Iran described as 'intimidation of workers,' but they were not home. These actions occurred after four thousand workers of the National Industrial Steel Group of Iran managed to receive two months of their delayed wages following nearly a month of strikes, marches, and protests. Nevertheless, part of the workers' demands remain unpaid. In recent years, unpaid wages have become one of the biggest problems for workers, leading to protests across various regions in Iran. In this context, Fars News Agency reported last week on 300 labor protests in 1996. According to the Free Workers Union of Iran, workers from the pipe manufacturing unit of this complex, which is active unlike three other sections, have gone on strike in protest against 'actions and pressures on their colleagues and in solidarity with them.'