Retirees Protest in 7 Cities in Iran; Workers of Gachsaran Petrochemical Gathered

A group of retirees and pensioners, including educators, continued their livelihood protests on Tuesday, December 7, gathering in several cities across Iran. Simultaneously, a group of workers from the Gachsaran petrochemical plant protested against officials' indifference to their demands. According to reports received by Voice of America and citizen videos shared on social media, protesting retirees gathered in at least the cities of Kermanshah, Hamadan, Ahvaz, Arak, Yazd, Shiraz, and Sanandaj in front of the buildings of the national pension fund, chanting against the economic policies of the Islamic Republic. In the Ahvaz gathering, which was accompanied by protests from nurses, the protesters called for the release of imprisoned workers and teachers. The protesters held placards and shouted slogans such as 'Imprisoned teacher must be freed', 'We have seen no justice, only lies', 'Implementation of equalization is our legitimate right', 'Imprisoned worker must be freed', and 'Workers and retirees, unity, unity', demanding attention to their demands. In the Kermanshah gathering, protesters chanted 'Imprisoned teacher must be freed' in support of imprisoned teacher rights activists. Since the beginning of 1401 (March 2022), security and judicial confrontations with labor activists, teacher rights advocates, and other wage earners have intensified, with dozens of them being arrested. In Sanandaj, protesting retirees emphasized the necessity of fulfilling their professional and livelihood demands, protesting against officials' indifference with the slogan 'Bankrupt government, enemy of retirees'. In Hamadan, protesting retirees emphasized the need for equalizing retirees' salaries with those of active workers, chanting, 'We have heard nothing but lies, we have seen no justice.' According to the Retirees' Union, retirees in Shiraz also chanted: 'Imprisoned teacher must be freed', 'If one embezzlement is reduced, our problem will be solved', 'We have seen no justice - we will not vote anymore', 'Unity in protest against poverty and corruption', 'Until we get our rights, we will not rest', and 'Bankrupt government - enemy of retirees.' Protests by retirees and pensioners have been recurring every Tuesday in several cities across Iran in recent weeks. The protest of Gachsaran petrochemical workers coincides with the rising livelihood protests in Iran, which take place every Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday in various cities. Recently, three well-known economists, Massoud Nili, Davood Soori, and Zahra Kavyani, criticized the economic governance of the Islamic Republic over the past four decades, stating that there has been no significant achievement in reducing poverty and that about 30% of our population lives below the poverty line. Massoud Nili has held various positions in different governments of the Islamic Republic over the years, including serving as the special assistant to the president for economic affairs and secretary of the economic coordination headquarters during Hassan Rouhani's presidency. Farshad Moameni, an economist in Iran, previously stated based on 'official data' that nearly one in three Iranians is 'absolutely poor', and for the first time in 100 years, the population of the poor in Iran has doubled in less than three years. Jamsheed Asadi, an economist, told Voice of America that the budget plan for the year 1403 will lead to further poverty and increased inflation in Iran.