Strike of Hundreds of Workers at Kerman's Baraz Rubber Factory; A Government Official: It is Against Regulations

Hundreds of workers at the Baraz Rubber Factory in Kerman continued their strike on Saturday, September 8, after the factory's CEO rejected their demand for a wage increase. Meanwhile, a government official deemed the workers' strike as 'against regulations.' The strike, involving about 2,000 workers, began on Wednesday, September 6, in protest against low wages and high tax deductions from their salaries, with workers gathering inside the factory for protests. According to reports received by VOA, the wage levels for Baraz Rubber workers range from 12 million to 16 million tomans, including overtime and benefits. Meanwhile, the state news agency IRNA limited the strike and gathering at Baraz Rubber to '40 workers.' Furthermore, IRNA quoted one protesting worker stating that the management claims to pay more than the labor department, but these wages do not meet their needs, especially considering the high deductions, including taxes. IRNA also reported that one of the middle managers at Baraz Rubber attended the gathering of protesting workers and promised to follow up and review their requests. Meanwhile, Mojtaba Misbah, the Director General of Cooperatives, Labor, and Social Welfare in Kerman Province, told the state news agency IRNA that the strike and shutdown of the production line are 'against regulations' and that workers have been told to 'end their strike and pursue their demands through legal channels.' Strikes in the Islamic Republic of Iran are considered illegal by officials, unlike many countries worldwide, and there have been repeated security and judicial crackdowns on workers and wage earners protesting for better living conditions and wages below the poverty line. Nevertheless, these crackdowns have not prevented the expansion of protests among workers and wage earners. The protests and strikes of workers in supporting roles and contractors at the South Pars Gas Complex in Asaluyeh continue, as do the protests of nurses over mandatory overtime, low wages, and difficult working conditions: 'Our patience has run out.' The government has reduced the insurance resources for construction workers; insurance for 500,000 workers has been cut. An official stated that 'mandatory overtime' and 'non-standard services' are the reasons for the nurses' strike. Protests over living conditions continue, with gatherings of oil and gas workers in Aghajari and Asaluyeh, and a 32-day strike by Pars Wagon workers in Arak.