Seventh Day of Labor Strikes at a Subsidiary of Shasta; Several Protesters from Baraz Rubber in Kerman Arrested

On the seventh day of the strike by Baraz Rubber workers in Kerman protesting their living conditions and lack of attention to their demands, several workers were arrested. At the same time, electric taxi drivers in Tehran went on strike, and a group of youths from Khuzestan gathered to protest their non-employment at Marun Oil Company. Labor sources reported on Wednesday, September 21, that the strike by Baraz Rubber workers in Kerman province has entered its seventh day. Meanwhile, the Iranian Labor News Agency quoted informed sources stating that several protesting workers were arrested, and while at least three of these individuals remain in custody, factory managers have not responded to ILNA's inquiries. The strike by a significant number of Baraz Rubber employees began on the morning of Thursday, September 15, and labor sources have reported that 'all production lines of this factory have been shut down during all three shifts for the past seven days.' The striking workers are demanding 'the elimination of insurance deductions from wages, an increase and regularization of production bonuses,' and attention to their living conditions. Baraz Rubber factory is one of the subsidiaries of the Social Security Investment Company, Shasta, and according to reports from the Civil Protest Telegram channel, 'many workers do not believe in the independence and impartiality of government and judicial officials' in this province regarding this company. Embezzlement and financial corruption in Shasta and its subsidiaries have previously brought the Social Security Investment Company to the forefront of the news. Additionally, in recent days, following the strike of Baraz Rubber workers, Mojtaba Misbah, the director of labor in Kerman province, claimed that 'the earnings of these workers are not less than 22 million tomans,' and thus stated that 'their protest is illegal.' However, an examination of the pay slips of several workers shows that their wages are paid at a minimum level, and 'with total ancillary wages and overtime pay, they receive less than 13 million tomans.' Concurrently with the strike of workers in Kerman, the Civil Protest Telegram channel reported that on Wednesday, a group of youths from Khuzestan protested against 'not being hired at Marun Oil Company.' According to this labor source, several electric taxi drivers in Tehran also gathered in protest of 'mismanagement in the municipality' and 'failure to fulfill the mayor's and taxi service's commitments' in front of the City Council and Municipality of the capital. The expansion of protests by various groups, including workers from different industries, retirees, teachers, defrauded individuals, and nurses and healthcare workers, indicates an increase in living problems in Iran and the indifference of the Islamic Republic authorities. Jamshid Asadi, an economist, previously predicted in an interview with Voice of America regarding the rise of the misery index in Iran that the living conditions and economic situation will worsen from what they currently are.