Retirees' Protest Slogans on Tuesday: 'Six-Class Government - Just Summarize These Days'

On Tuesday, August 3, retirees from the public and educational sectors gathered in several cities across Iran, demanding the fulfillment of their professional demands and chanting slogans against the government and parliament. These protests, referred to as 'Protest Tuesdays,' began a few weeks ago alongside protests by social security and telecommunications retirees on Sundays and Mondays. Retirees gathered in cities including Ardabil, Sanandaj, Kermanshah, Yazd, Shiraz, Qazvin, and Karaj, criticizing the government with slogans such as 'Both parliament and government - they lie to the people,' 'Six-class government - just summarize these days,' 'Inflation, high prices, a scourge on the people,' and 'Imprisoned teachers must be freed.' They are calling for the equalization of pensions, improvement of living conditions, and an increase in welfare services. Meanwhile, Ismail Gerami, a retired worker, noted in a statement regarding the security forces' attack on social security retirees in Rasht on Sunday, August 1, that 'the government does not understand that beating retirees and arresting them in various cities will never silence them, as retirees do not gather in cold or heat, under snow and storms for fun.' He added that retirees do not go to protests for snacks or hidden bonuses but to express their grievances against poverty, misery, and oppression they face. Gerami, who has previously been arrested for union activities, pointed out that many workers and teachers are imprisoned simply for defending their rights and those of their colleagues. He emphasized that witnessing such class disparities and social and political issues has distressed families, stating, 'Which family member does not know that the cause of this bitterness and misery in life is the government?' Street protests by retirees, workers, teachers, and other wage earners have occurred in many areas of Iran in recent years. This situation, along with rising living costs and the number of people living below the poverty line, has also been reflected in the statements of some members of the legislative body ahead of the parliamentary elections. In this context, Jalal Rashidi-Koochi, a parliament member, stated on Tuesday, August 2, 'Mr. Government, are you aware that your retirees receive 7 to 8 million tomans in salary, and with several children and grandchildren, this salary does not last until the 10th of the month?' He added, 'Mr. Government, are you aware that chicken has become 120,000 tomans per kilogram and that wheat is purchased from farmers at 11,500 tomans, leaving farmers in dire straits?' Rashidi-Koochi also told the government, 'Are you aware that the poor worker is being crushed under the boots of companies in 50-degree heat in the south of the country, and you are doing nothing?' Another parliament member, Jafar Qaderi, also called on the government on Tuesday to seriously pursue the issue of equalizing retirees' pensions, stating that this demand has been raised multiple times and is expected to be addressed. Despite all these protests and criticisms, Ali Bahadori Jahromi stated on Tuesday, 'The President is very sensitive to the living conditions and pensions of retirees and believes that someone who retires has higher living expenses than a working employee, using the phrase that employees have expenses for their children, while retirees also have expenses for their grandchildren.' This comes at a time when the economic policies of President Ebrahim Raisi have created dire conditions for retirees, workers, and other wage earners over the past two years. In this regard, Payman Molavi, an economic expert, warned on Tuesday in an interview with Khabar Online about a potential 70% inflation in the future. Protests by cultural retirees and social security retirees took place in Kermanshah, with slogans such as 'Inflation, high prices, a scourge on the people' in Yazd on August 3, 'We saw no justice, only heard lies' at a telecommunications retirees' protest in Tehran, and 'Enough promises, we do not have the lifespan of Noah' at a telecommunications protest in Tabriz. Social security retirees protested in several cities regarding their conditions, demanding that salaries be above the poverty line, while the protests by public retirees included slogans like 'Incompetent government, shame, shame.'