Retirees Gather in Tehran and Several Other Cities Over 'Pensions Below the Poverty Line'

A number of retirees gathered on Tuesday in front of the Planning and Budget Organization in Tehran and in several other cities such as Isfahan. According to ILNA news agency, the protesters, who were retirees from various government organizations, protested against their pensions, which reports indicate are below the poverty line. Based on videos shared on social media, they chanted slogans such as: 'The poverty line is six million, our salary is two million.' They also shouted: 'Article 27 of the Constitution allows for marches and gatherings,' 'Workers, nurses, unity, unity,' and 'According to Article 64 of the Civil Service Management Law, retirees' salaries should be equal to those of active employees.' According to ILNA, the protesters demanded the implementation of pension equalization, strict enforcement of the Civil Service Management Law, and access to quality supplementary insurance. Many of the protesters were retired teachers who stated that their pensions are 'much lower' compared to both active teachers and retirees from other government organizations. One teacher present at the protest told ILNA: 'We are fed up with poverty and lack of money; the pension we receive after 30 years of teaching does not even cover 10 days of the month; how are we supposed to survive for the rest of the month?' Previously, Jamsheed Taghizadeh, the CEO of the National Retirement Fund, stated in August that the purchasing power of retirees in Iran has 'decreased by more than 67 percent and they do not have a good living situation.' ILNA's report did not mention which organization organized the protest. However, earlier, the Retirees Union had called for a gathering on Tuesday in a statement released on social media. This organization demanded the 'implementation of the Civil Service Management Law approved in 2007, an escape from absolute poverty by receiving six million tomans for a family of four, annual salary increases in line with the real inflation rate, free healthcare, and effective insurance instead of supplementary insurance for active employees and retirees.' Other demands raised in the Retirees Union's statement included 'clarifying the status of retirement funds, returning embezzled assets to these funds, and oversight by representatives of actual wage earners, both active and retired, as well as creating job security for active employees by abolishing temporary contracts and ensuring official employment.' The union also emphasized the necessity of free education for all children, including migrant children, the abolition of school privatization, and the right to establish and recognize any independent organization, gathering, sit-in, or strike, regardless of security conditions, and called for the unconditional release of imprisoned teachers. Currently, several teacher union activists, including Ismail Abdi, Mahmoud Beheshti Langaroudi, Mohammad Habibi, and Rouhollah Mardani, are imprisoned on security charges. Additionally, Mohammad Reza Ramazanzadeh and Abdolreza Ghanbari were arrested in recent days, with no reason given for their detention. Retired government employees and retired teachers have previously gathered multiple times in front of responsible institutions, including the Planning and Budget Organization and the Islamic Consultative Assembly, demanding their rights.