Security Response to Labor Demands; 8 Arrested for 'Leading' Strikes in South Pars

Akbar Pourat, the political, security, and social deputy governor of Bushehr, described the labor strikes in the South Pars region as an 'organized' action, linking it to 'enemies and networks abroad.' He announced that 8 of their 'main internal leaders' had been 'identified and arrested.' According to him, the detainees were 'managing' the labor strike through both virtual and real spaces to continue the labor action. This security official stated that the labor strike in the South Pars region had been 'broken' and that 'workers and employees of various companies have returned to their workplaces.' Akbar Pourat did not mention the timing of the arrests or provide further details. Security and judicial officials of the Islamic Republic have repeatedly attributed strikes and labor protests to 'enemies.' Prior to the remarks of the deputy governor of Bushehr, Hossein Taeb, the former head of the IRGC Intelligence Organization, had said on May 21 at Kharazmi University in Tehran: 'Protest is different from chaos and overthrow... right now, oil workers are protesting, and no one is confronting them.' Meanwhile, independent sources have not yet published reports on the status of the strike in South Pars. In this regard, the Central Oil and Gas Campaign stated that strikes by project workers in oil, gas, petrochemicals, steel, and copper have occurred in several provinces of Iran, such as Ilam, Khuzestan, Isfahan, Yazd, and Hormozgan. Project workers have demanded a 79% wage increase, 20 days of work followed by 10 days of rest, and the fulfillment of other labor demands. The third day of the railway workers' strike in Kerman continues; protests by water and sewage workers in Abadan are ongoing. The strike in the Kerman railway continues; workers' severance pay has not been paid since 2013. The continuation of labor strikes emphasizes the role of the 'Strike Council' in advocating for workers' rights.