Second Week of Water Supply Workers' Strike in Roudbar, Protesting 8 Months of Unpaid Wages

In response to the strike by contracted workers who have been on strike for two weeks due to 8 months of unpaid wages, the Roudbar Water and Wastewater Company has "revoked the insurance rights of the striking workers." According to ILNA news agency, the protesting workers stated that "water wastage is rampant, pipe breaks are not being repaired, meters are installed late, and people's work is stalled because we are no longer willing to work without pay and benefits." The striking workers of the Roudbar Water Company reported that instead of paying their wages in response to their protests, they have been threatened, and the company has asked the contractor not to "provide insurance for the workers who have stopped working." The protesting workers said that although these threats will not prevent the continuation of the strike, they have "gone everywhere to get our meager wages, thrown ourselves at every official, but the situation is getting worse day by day." The workers say they are caught between the contractor and the water company in their quest for unpaid wages. One experienced worker commented on the back-and-forth between the company and the contractor and filing complaints against them: "We neither have the money to go to the labor office to file a complaint nor the time." Regarding the employers' indifference to the disruption in water supply services and the workers' strike, they said: "It has reached a point where people come themselves and plead for us to just go to their area as skilled workers. They say we will dig ourselves and make the connections ourselves. You just come and supervise us!" According to "information published by the Ministry of Labor's Statistical Center," unpaid wages are one of the most significant issues in labor protests at "Labor Dispute Resolution Boards." Guilds and workers have identified the "intermediary role of contractors" between employers and workers as one of the main obstacles to their wage issues. The elimination of contractors and protests against "outsourcing services and assigning work to contractor companies" is one of the fundamental demands of guild and labor protests. According to previous reports from some labor organizations, "more than 22,000" project workers in 110 companies are on strike to achieve their guild demands, and some of them have also left their workplaces and gone home. The striking workers are demanding "the elimination of contractors, wage increases, 14 days of work followed by 14 days of rest, improvement of dormitory conditions, and better working conditions and workplace safety." The strike of Sepahan Oil Company workers and joining the 14-14 campaign continues with more than 20,000 project workers in 110 companies in Iran. The project workers see the aim of this year's strikes as the "14-14 demand," the elimination of contractors, and "improving working conditions."