Supreme Labor Council Not Seeking Wage Restoration; Housing Allowance Will Not Increase

Following the Supreme Labor Council meeting held yesterday, Tuesday, April 16, with all its members present, the employers' representative stated, "It was not a special meeting, and there was no discussion regarding wage reform, and we are unaware of the workers' claims." According to Tasnim News Agency, the meeting ended without any specific results or decisions for the workers, while Ali Bagheri, the workers' representative in the Supreme Labor Council, mentioned that the topic was about increasing the housing allowance for workers. On the other hand, Ali Asghar Ahaniha, the employers' representative, stated after the meeting that "we did not have a special meeting, and there was no discussion about wage reform. We are unaware of the workers' representative's claim that the housing allowance will increase." Iranian media reported yesterday that the agenda of this meeting was to review some wage items for 2024. Reports emphasized that there is a possibility that the housing allowance for workers may see a percentage increase. The main reason for this speculation was the stagnation of this "item" after the determination of the 2024 wage, which has led to protests from the labor community and criticism from some members of parliament. Currently, 70% of workers' wages in Iran are allocated to housing. The continuation of farmers' protests in Isfahan; school janitors protested against salaries "below 10 million" tomans. Workers' purchasing power has not improved; the dollar value of wages has fallen. The response of four labor and professional organizations in Iran to the Islamic Republic's attack on Israel: adventurous and detrimental to the impoverished. An 11 million toman wage against a 30 million toman livelihood; a labor activist stated: the government has trampled on retirees' rights.