Security and Judicial Pressures on Workers of Haft Tappeh Sugarcane and National Industrial Steel Group of Iran

As protests by workers of Haft Tappeh Sugarcane Company and the National Industrial Steel Group of Iran in Ahvaz continue, reports indicate security and judicial confrontations with several workers from these two complexes. According to reports, the new round of strikes by workers from all sectors of Haft Tappeh Sugarcane Company entered its eleventh day on Tuesday. The workers are protesting the privatization of the company and the poor performance of its private employer, demanding that ownership be returned to the government. Haft Tappeh Sugarcane Company was privatized in March 2016. The workers are also demanding the payment of their overdue wages and the prevention of land division and transfer to newly established private companies. According to ILNA news agency, the workers are also protesting the non-payment of insurance premiums and the classification of their jobs as hazardous and arduous in the insurance list. Meanwhile, several workers from Haft Tappeh announced that security agencies have threatened their representatives. According to the Telegram channel of the Free Workers Union of Iran, they urged security agencies to hold the corrupt employer accountable instead of threatening workers whose wages are paid every three months, and to find the root causes of the strikes rather than eliminating the symptoms. This group of Haft Tappeh workers warned that if their representatives are 'assassinated or arrested, they will not remain silent' and will 'expand their strike to Shush County.' They held security agencies responsible for the consequences of actions against their representatives. Footage shared on social media shows the strike and march of workers from the National Industrial Steel Group of Iran, gathering in front of the Khuzestan governor's office and the National Bank of Iran's headquarters in Ahvaz. According to these videos, the workers chanted: 'Our country is a den of thieves, it is a model in the world,' 'Leave Syria, think about us,' and 'Neither Gaza nor Lebanon, only the people of Iran.' The workers of the National Industrial Steel Group are protesting the non-payment of 'four months of wages and the lack of necessary raw materials to restart the activities of this complex.' According to ILNA, the protesting workers say that the new employer lacks the financial capability to pay the workers' wages, and due to the negligence of officials, the problems of this large industrial unit have increased day by day, and the promises made by officials have not led to any solutions so far. Previously, Kasra Ghafouri, CEO of the National Industrial Steel Group, had informed ILNA that the issue of raw material shortages would be resolved by September 6. In this context, the Free Workers Union of Iran reported on Tuesday that the workers of this large industrial complex are demanding the 'exposure of the hidden hands' that, despite the return of ownership of this complex to the National Bank, 'continue to prevent the provision of raw materials and the operation of all production sectors of the company and the payment of workers' wages.' The workers of the National Industrial Steel Group have repeatedly gone on strike and gathered in front of various government institutions, such as the Khuzestan governor's office, due to the unfulfilled promises of officials regarding their wage arrears. In this context, the Free Workers Union of Iran reported on Tuesday, September 5, that several workers from the National Industrial Steel Group were summoned for questioning by the Revolutionary Court in Ahvaz. The number of these workers has not been specified; they were arrested during the protests in June and were released on bail. Earlier, on August 20, another group of workers from this large industrial complex was summoned and questioned for their final defenses. On the tenth day of the strike by the workers of the National Industrial Steel Group and Haft Tappeh Sugarcane Company, workers in Haft Tappeh and three cities in Iran protested. The continuation of the strike by Haft Tappeh workers and the gathering of workers from the industrial steel group in Ahvaz are in protest against the failure to meet their demands.