Twenty-Second Day of Haft Tappeh Workers' Protests; Threat from Judiciary Chief

The strike and protests of the workers of Haft Tappeh Sugarcane Company in Shush continued on Tuesday, December 5, for the twenty-second consecutive day; simultaneously, the head of the judiciary of the Islamic Republic threatened that "using workers' demands as an excuse to disrupt the country's order is unacceptable." On Tuesday, the workers chanted slogans demanding the release of Ismail Bakhtiari, one of their representatives who has been detained since last Sunday along with civil activist Sepideh Ghalean, facing "security charges" according to government and judicial officials. A day earlier, Karim Yavari, the representative of the Minister of Cooperatives, Labor, and Social Welfare, had urged the workers to return to work and to "overcome their distrust of the employer" to achieve their rights. On the other hand, Omid Asadbeigi, the private employer of Haft Tappeh, in a video message released on Sunday evening, called for an end to the strike, stating: "This strike will bring nothing but disorder and numerous problems for the organization." Several Iranian government and judicial officials had previously reported the imprisonment or flight of the private employer of Haft Tappeh. For instance, Gholamhossein Mohseni Ejei, the spokesman for the judiciary, announced last week that this employer was on the run, and Mahmoud Vaezi, the head of the President's Office, stated that this employer had been detained due to some issues. In response to the private employer's video message, one of the representatives of the labor assembly criticized the performance of the private sector and stated that workers demand "the removal of this sector" and that there is "no possibility of his return." The Haft Tappeh Sugarcane Company, covering about 24,000 hectares, was privatized in winter 2015 with an advance payment of six billion tomans. The workers of this company, in addition to protesting unpaid wages, are demanding the transfer of ownership to the workers or to the government under the management of a labor council; however, the government of Hassan Rouhani has opposed this request. So far, only one month of the four months of unpaid wages has been paid to the workers of Haft Tappeh, and government officials have stated that another month is expected to be paid this week. Judiciary Chief: The Enemy is Trying to Exploit Workers' Demands. As the protests of Haft Tappeh workers continue, Sadegh Larijani, the head of the judiciary, threatened on Tuesday that "using workers' demands as an excuse to disrupt the country's order is unacceptable." Sadegh Larijani pointed out that "the issue of economy and livelihood is the main axis of the enemy's infiltration and attacks," stating: "The enemy is trying to exploit some demands." The judiciary chief also warned that "with chaos, crises, and actions contrary to public order, demands will not be met." Iranian judiciary officials have previously threatened protesters in similar labor strikes, including truck drivers, with "severe punishment."