Strike at Diba Paper and Pulp Industries in Shushtar; 350 Workers Demand Factory Reopening and Wage Payments

The strike of 350 workers at Diba Paper and Pulp Industries in Shushtar, Khuzestan province, continued on Thursday, July 21, entering its ninth day. According to ILNA news agency, the main demand of the workers, who have been protesting since last week, is the payment of overdue wages, social security insurance rights, and other professional demands. One worker reported that they had previously held several gatherings to demand the reopening of the factory (which had been closed for several months due to financial crisis) and the payment of their overdue wages. He added, 'With the intervention of officials, the factory started operating again, but timely wage payments have still not been realized.' The delayed payment of wages has been one of the reasons for the expansion of labor protests in various regions of Iran in recent years. Another worker from Diba Paper and Pulp Industries stated, 'On one hand, wage demands have been delayed for several months, leading to livelihood problems, and on the other hand, the payment of workers' insurance rights is facing issues, and we are not receiving healthcare services.' He emphasized that the reason for the continuation of the workers' protests is 'indifference, and officials do not pay attention to the workers' demands.' In recent years, alongside the expansion of labor protests, Islamic Republic officials have attempted to end strikes or gatherings by making promises. However, according to media reports and labor and professional organizations, most of these promises are not fulfilled. Regarding the situation at the Shirkouh power plant in Yazd, the 'Kargar 24' website reported that officials are indifferent to the conditions of workers in this industrial unit, including the dismissal of protesting workers. A worker at the Shirkouh power plant mentioned that they have not been provided work clothes for over three years, have not received their end-of-year bonuses, are not paid for working on Fridays, have not received their 12-hour shift allowance for a year, and the classification plan is not being implemented. He noted that the employer responds to workers' protests by saying, 'Whenever you leave this company, you can file a complaint,' and added, 'We have gone to the labor office several times. They said to file a complaint. If we do, we will be dismissed.' The living and working conditions of workers in many units are hard and difficult, and this issue has even been reflected in some government media. Workers at Chavar Petrochemical Company have long been hearing promises from their employer. ILNA reported that workers at Chavar Petrochemical in Ilam province have been working on a daily wage basis with one-month contracts for four years, and their wages are only at the minimum wage level. According to the Islamic Republic's Supreme Labor Council, the minimum wage for a married worker with children is over 11 million tomans per month, while independent labor activists and organizations state that the monthly cost of living is around 30 million tomans. The report stated that workers at Chavar Petrochemical have long been 'waiting for the implementation of the job classification plan and only hear promises from the employer.' One worker said, 'They started making promises since last October, it was supposed to be implemented by the end of the year, which did not happen, then they said hopefully after the New Year, now four months have passed since the New Year, and there is still no news of the classification plan.' Another worker from the 600 workers at Chavar Petrochemical stated, 'Not only has the classification plan not been implemented, but we are also deprived of common wage benefits; we do not receive hardship pay, bad weather pay, or motivational and welfare benefits, while contract workers in petrochemicals receive all these benefits together.' This worker, who is dissatisfied with four years of daily wage work with one-month contracts, added, 'Recently, they came and said they wanted to sign a one-year contract with us; when we went to sign the contract, we saw no difference from the previous daily wage and one-month contract; there were no wage benefits in that contract, and everything was arranged in favor of the employer, 100% in favor of the employer.' ILNA noted that last year, 'several contract workers at Chavar Petrochemical committed suicide, then the managers of this petrochemical unit promised that conditions would change, and now several months after those bitter events and those interviews full of promises, things at Chavar Petrochemical are still the same, and there are no changes.' Regarding the Ahvaz urban railway project, another report by this news agency stated that the problem of unpaid wages and insurance for workers continues, and one worker from the Ahvaz urban railway project mentioned that they have 10 months of unpaid wages, one year and six months of unpaid insurance, and eight years of unpaid severance pay, while the status of this construction project and its contractor is still unclear. According to him, officials of the Ahvaz urban railway are unresponsive, and about 113 security workers are experiencing poor living conditions after four years of suspension of this project. The construction plan for the Ahvaz urban railway project started in 2001, and in 2012, the responsibility for its execution was handed over to the private sector, and so far, this project has only progressed 24%, and its fate remains uncertain. This worker employed in the Ahvaz urban railway project stated that workers have repeatedly requested government officials in Khuzestan province, including the governor's office, to address their situation due to livelihood problems, but no solutions have yet been found for the issues of this construction project.