Threatening Text Messages Sent to Protesting Oil and Gas Workers in Southern Iran

The ILNA news agency reported that threatening text messages were sent to protesting oil and gas workers in southern Iran, coinciding with the launch of a "protest campaign by project workers". Alireza Mirghafari, a member of the Supreme Labor Council and the board of directors of the Supreme Association of Labor Unions, discussed this issue in an interview with the agency. According to labor sources cited by ILNA, a new wave of protests has begun among project workers in the oil, gas, and related sectors in southern Iran, with the main demands being changes in work hours and the elimination of contractors. ILNA reported that approximately 3,000 project, contractual, and third-party workers have joined this campaign. The new protest campaign, named "14-14" and with the slogan "All Workers Share the Same Table", started on June 21, 2024, among project workers in refineries, petrochemicals, and other oil and gas centers. These workers reportedly "returned home after handing over their tools". Criticism has been directed at officials for their indifference to the increasing "heartbreaking deaths" of workers due to unprecedented heat. ILNA published the names of companies involved, including piping workers at Pars Petrochemical in Assaluyeh, contractors from Jahanpars Company, and workers from various projects. The stated goals of the 14-14 campaign include the elimination of contractors in the oil, gas, and power sectors, the implementation of a work schedule of 14 days on and 14 days off, and wage increases. Heshmatollah Soleimani, a board member of the Pars South Refineries Association, noted that "contracted workers with continuous project work make up a significant portion of the protesters against the current situation. These continuous workers usually change contractors every few years and return to a legal zero point with each change." Workers in Iran have been struggling with severe economic issues for years, and while the minimum living cost in Tehran is estimated to be over 30 million tomans and about 20 million tomans in other cities, the minimum wage for workers in 2024 is set at only about 11 million tomans. Consequently, various cities in Iran have witnessed labor gatherings since the beginning of this year, which have faced repression from security forces and the arrest of labor activists. Security institutions of the Islamic Republic have repeatedly clashed with labor unions over the past decades, threatening, dismissing, and suspending many activists in this field, leading to heavy security sentences.