The Number of Detained Workers at Haft Tappeh Sugarcane Company Reaches 20

On Wednesday, July 25, the Haft Tappeh Sugarcane Workers' Syndicate reported the detention of 15 workers by police and security forces over the past two days. According to the labor organization, these 15 workers were arrested at their homes at 9 PM on Tuesday, July 24. The detainees include Ahmad Khatir, Behzad Nazari, Hadi Tafah, Abdolreza Sarakhe, Hamid Abdollahzadeh, and two workers with the surname Sobah Savari. The Haft Tappeh Sugarcane Workers' Syndicate also announced that 5 more workers were detained on Wednesday 'in coordination with the company's security and management by the intelligence and security forces of the police and transferred to unknown locations.' There is currently no information available about the status of the detained workers. The ILNA news agency confirmed the arrests, quoting the public relations office of the Shush governorate, stating that this action was 'likely due to the disruption of the transit route from Shush to Ahvaz and the obstruction of traffic on this route.' The news agency also reported that there is no precise information regarding the reason for the detention of these workers, and according to the public relations office of the Haft Tappeh Sugarcane Company, no complaints have been filed against the workers by the employer, but some entities have issued orders for these arrests. The report did not mention the names of these entities. Earlier, the prosecutor of Shush county had advised protesting employees of the Haft Tappeh Sugarcane Company in an interview with the state news agency IRNA to pursue their demands legally, as gathering on the road and blocking traffic is 'an illegal action.' Mostafa Nazari stated, 'The gathering of some Haft Tappeh sugarcane workers on the Shush-Ahvaz highway and blocking this road is illegal, and violators will be dealt with.' He announced that this matter would be pursued seriously by the police, adding, 'Those who have engaged in unauthorized gatherings will be identified and punished.' Meanwhile, the Free Workers' Union of Iran reported that during the workers' gathering on Tuesday at the Haft Tappeh Sugarcane Company, 'security forces used tear gas and aimed it at the workers in an attempt to disperse them, but faced resistance from the workers, resulting in broken windows of several vehicles.' This report has not yet been confirmed or denied by official sources. ILNA quoted several Haft Tappeh sugarcane workers stating that the arrest of the 15 workers occurred at the end of a day when a group of workers had gathered for the second consecutive day due to the non-payment of their demands. In recent weeks, the workers of this company have repeatedly gone on strike and gathered in protest against the non-payment of their demands. They have also blocked roads around the company several times in recent days. The workers are demanding payment for their wages for the months of Ordibehesht and Khordad of this year, wages for Bahman and Esfand of 2015, 8 months of last year's bonuses, and bonuses from two years ago. Despite the arrests on Tuesday night, the workers' protests continued on Wednesday, July 25. According to ILNA, the protesting workers gathered at the company premises and, while demanding the payment of their overdue claims, inquired about the status of their detained colleagues. In this context, according to the Free Workers' Union of Iran, Siamak Afshar, the deputy and assistant of the Haft Tappeh Sugarcane Company, announced to the workers that 50% of one month's salary for official workers had been deposited into their accounts. According to the Ettehad website, he added that this complex would not be transferred to the public sector and that the workers' bonuses would also not be paid. The deputy of this company urged the striking workers to return to work, but according to the Free Workers' Union of Iran, the workers had not agreed to return to their jobs by noon on Wednesday. Siamak Afshar also stated in an interview with ILNA regarding the bonuses and benefits of the workers over the past two years that 'a loss-making company does not have bonuses or benefits, and bonuses and benefits are paid to workers of companies that are profitable.' This comes despite Mahmoud Hojjati, the Minister of Agriculture, stating on May 27 during a visit to the Haft Tappeh Sugarcane Company that the company's production had increased by 10%. The Haft Tappeh Sugarcane Company was privatized in Esfand 2015. This privatization has faced criticism. For instance, the Aftab Yazd newspaper reported in April of last year that Razi Noori, a representative from Shush Danial in Parliament, had warned Ali Tayebnia, the Minister of Economy, about the process of privatizing the Haft Tappeh Sugarcane Company to two young men aged 28 and 31. This parliament member stated, 'Is the transfer of this large economic entity to two young men aged 28 and 31 without coordination with provincial and county officials not equivalent to abandoning this entity, and was this a correct action?' He predicted that this privatization would 'create multiple problems' for the workers of this economic entity. Meanwhile, according to the Mehr news agency, the representative of the new owners of Haft Tappeh Sugarcane in Esfand 2015 told the workers that they had come for 'development' to pull the complex out of 'bankruptcy,' stating, 'The government has no money. The only way out of this situation is to hand the company over to the private sector.' According to reports, the private employer of Haft Tappeh Sugarcane has repeatedly delayed the payment of workers' claims during this period. Additionally, the number of workers at this company has decreased from 7,000 to 4,500. For this reason, after the privatization of this unit, the workers of Haft Tappeh Sugarcane have repeatedly demanded its return to the public sector during their protests and strikes. Support from labor organizations for Haft Tappeh Sugarcane workers has arisen due to the non-payment of workers' claims and the security and judicial actions against them. In this context, the Free Workers' Union of Iran and the Syndicate of Workers of the Tehran and Suburbs Bus Company condemned the detention of several Haft Tappeh Sugarcane workers on Wednesday and called for their release. The Free Workers' Union of Iran also demanded the immediate payment of all claims of active and retired workers of Haft Tappeh Sugarcane, the end of the security atmosphere in this company, the return of its ownership to the government, and the recognition of the Haft Tappeh Sugarcane Workers' Syndicate as the labor organization of the workers of this factory. The Syndicate of Workers of the Tehran and Suburbs Bus Company also supported the Haft Tappeh Sugarcane Workers' Syndicate and called on the officials of Khuzestan province and the government to immediately pay the workers' claims. Additionally, the Haft Tappeh Sugarcane Workers' Syndicate held the government responsible for the 'violations and injustices' in this unit, stating, 'The government is obliged to address all workers' claims and the theft of our wages as soon as possible.' This labor organization also called for the immediate and unconditional release of the detained workers. Before these arrests, the International Federation of Food, Agricultural and Allied Workers' Unions had issued a statement urging its member unions and labor organizations worldwide to support the demands of the workers and retirees of Haft Tappeh Sugarcane for the payment of their overdue wages and benefits. This international labor organization also supported the two other demands of the Haft Tappeh Sugarcane workers for the recognition of their union and the return of this company to the public sector.