The Government Begins to Whisper Opposition to Article 41 of the Labor Law; Raisi's Deputy: We Have Limitations for Increasing Workers' Salaries

Hours after the news agency 'Tasnim', affiliated with security institutions, reported that wage negotiations would begin this week, Davood Manzoor, head of the Planning Organization and Deputy of Ebrahim Raisi, announced that the government has considerations regarding the increase of salaries for workers and employees, which are determined based on the issue of 'expected inflation'. According to the news agency 'Ilna', Manzoor stated that the growth of salaries and wages should increase in accordance with the economic conditions of the country and 'expected inflation'. He declared that the basis for the government's proposal and decision for salary increases in the coming year is 'expected inflation' for the upcoming year and that labor organizations and the government must reach a reasonable wage increase rate based on this premise to prevent 'expected inflation' from spiraling out of control. These statements from Raisi's deputy come as 'Ilna' reported that labor activists believe that the 42% inflation rate and a livelihood basket of 25 million tomans should be the basis for wage negotiations. The news agency 'Tasnim' also reacted to the delay in holding wage meetings, stating that more than 50% of the country's population, along with their families, consists of workers, and that the end of the year is a time of concern and stress for this population regarding the determination of their wages for the following year. Meanwhile, Nasser Chamani, a labor activist, stated that if the law and Article 41 of the Labor Law are treated as the 'final word' in determining the wages of the working community, a 'fair and realistic' wage will certainly be set for workers. According to Article 41 of the Labor Law, 'wages, salaries, benefits, and bonuses for workers must be calculated based on the actual inflation rate in the country.' Experts believe that statements such as 'expected inflation' for the coming year are a new method for the government to convince workers to accept a 20% wage increase. This group of experts believes that the next year's budget, tax pressures, recent fluctuations in exchange rates, and the dollar crossing the 60,000 toman mark indicate that, in the best-case scenario, inflation will stabilize around 45% next year, and there will be no news of decreasing inflation. Promises of wage meetings starting this week; workers: The 42% inflation rate and a livelihood basket of 25 million tomans should be the basis. The late holding of the Supreme Labor Council meetings; a union activist: They want to take the opportunity for protests away from workers. A government news agency reported that the poverty line has crossed 25 million tomans. Protests continue in various cities; at least in four cities, sectoral protests were held. Workers' wages in Iraq and Turkey are 2 to 4 times higher than those of Iranian workers. Protesting workers at a chocolate factory in Tabriz: 11 hours of daily work for a monthly salary of 9 million tomans! A warning from an economist about an economic collapse: 60% inflation is not out of the question. Workers' wages are under the weight of inflation; a member of the Supreme Labor Council stated that the livelihood basket rate is more than '23 million and 500 thousand tomans'.