Retired Educators Gather in Front of the Organization for Planning and Budget in Tehran

Continuing the protests over living conditions and professional issues in Iran, a number of retired educators gathered on Wednesday, January 10, in Tehran in front of the Organization for Planning and Budget. According to reports published on social media and received by Voice of America, retired teachers demanded reforms to the ranking law and the payment of their arrears. "Equalization with active employees is our rightful demand," "Inflation is a disaster for the people," and "Neither the Parliament nor the government cares about the nation" were among the slogans of the retired educators at this gathering. On Tuesday, protesting retirees held gatherings in at least eight cities in Iran, chanting, "Neither Gaza nor Lebanon, my life is for Iran." Additionally, retired educators in Yazd held a silent march, carrying white papers as a sign of protest. In recent days, three educators' organizations in Iran issued a statement declaring that the most significant flaw in the 2024 budget is the "lack of a separate line for the budget of equalizing retirees' salaries and the continuation of teachers' ranking with a stable financial source." Over the past year, protests over living conditions and professional issues have been held continuously in Iran. Ahmad Alavi, an economist, previously told Voice of America that the budget for 2024 is in deficit, which will lead to increased poverty and misery among the people.