Telecommunications Retirees Protest in 6 Cities; Retirees in Shush Threatened with Action

On Tuesday, telecommunications retirees held protest gatherings in at least six cities across Iran, demanding the fulfillment of their professional demands. According to retirees' organizations, the protests took place in front of telecommunications offices in the cities of Bojnurd, Ahvaz, Shahrekord, Khorramabad, Isfahan, and Mashhad. These retirees are calling for the full implementation of Regulation 89, a reduction in the supplementary insurance share from 50% to 20%, and the payment of their welfare benefits and food allowances. The protests occurred on a day when Nasrollah Pejmanfar, the head of the Parliament's Article 90 Commission, mentioned in a tweet about a special meeting of this commission with the Minister of Communications. He stated that, according to the promises made by telecommunications managers, it was approved that 'from next month, the overdue welfare benefits of telecommunications retirees will be paid monthly. Additionally, the claims of dear telecommunications retirees will be paid from the sale of surplus assets.' Telecommunications retirees and social security retirees have repeatedly protested their living conditions and the indifference of officials in recent years. Meanwhile, the Haft Tappeh Sugarcane Workers' Syndicate issued a statement titled 'Do not scare us with threats, rights must be taken,' reporting that in recent days, several social security retirees in Haft Tappeh and Shush have been threatened with security cases and detention through anonymous phone calls and in some cases, after being summoned to security agencies. According to the statement, Eisa Shohani, Fereydoun Nikouford, and Eisa Mozaffari are among the retirees who have been threatened by security agencies. The Haft Tappeh Sugarcane Workers' Syndicate noted that according to Article 27 of the Constitution, holding gatherings without carrying weapons and in line with professional and civil demands is permissible, and wrote that the Administrative Justice Court confirmed the legality of professional activities in May of this year. According to this organization, 'Holding peaceful gatherings by individuals to defend professional and occupational interests is free and does not require obtaining permission as per Articles 10, 11, and 13 of the Law on Political Parties and Groups.' The protest gathering of telecommunications retirees in Ahvaz featured the slogan: 'A nation has never seen such injustice.' The gathering of retirees in Shush protested their living conditions and the indifference of officials. The slogan of social security retirees in Ahvaz was 'The retirees' table is emptier than ever.' The telecommunications retirees gathered in 16 cities; security forces prevented gatherings in Tehran.