Unemployment Shadow Over Contract Workers at Ilam's Arghavan Gostar Petrochemical; ILNA Reports Two Suicides

ILNA reported on Saturday, July 30, that weeks after a protest and sit-in by several workers of the Arghavan Gostar Petrochemical Company in Ilam due to unemployment caused by the end of their contracts and the lack of accountability from officials, one of these workers attempted to end his life by pouring gasoline over himself, but other workers prevented this act. According to ILNA, the wife of one of the workers also attempted suicide by ingesting rice pills due to 'financial problems stemming from her husband's unemployment,' but was saved by rescuers. Since mid-June, the continuous protests of the unemployed workers from the Arghavan Gostar Petrochemical project in Ilam have made headlines. Labor activists say that several contract workers at the Arghavan Gostar Petrochemical Company have become unemployed due to the expiration of the contractor's contract, and the unemployment trend continues for other workers. These workers, most of whom worked in connections, installation, and equipment sections, have become unemployed with the completion of the project and believe they should be re-employed. One of the workers had previously told 'Tejarat News' that after the contracts ended by the end of June, about 400 workers would be unemployed, and their requests to officials for continued cooperation have gone unanswered. Furthermore, ILNA reported that last Tuesday, about seven of the unemployed workers from this company were arrested for 'following up on their employment status' and were released after three days. The Arghavan Gostar Petrochemical Company in Ilam produces polymer-grade propylene by refining chemical-grade propylene. The project is located in Ilam Province, Chavar County. Additionally, see: Continuation of protests by 'Darougar' workers and Arghavan Gostar Petrochemical due to unemployment and delayed wages. According to Iranian media citing workers from the Arghavan Gostar Petrochemical project, all these workers are locals from the region and Chavar County, with work experience ranging from 5 to 10 years. Many of these individuals, despite having specialized qualifications, worked for wages described as 'one-fourth of other projects' and have lost other job opportunities due to repeated promises from company and contractor managers. Unions and workers have identified 'the intermediary role of contractors' between employers and workers as one of the main obstacles to their wage issues. The elimination of contractors and protests against 'outsourcing services and assigning work to contracting companies' is one of the fundamental demands of labor and union protests. According to previous reports from some labor organizations, 'more than 22,000' contract workers in 110 companies are on strike to achieve their union demands, and some have left their workplaces to return home. The history of protests by petrochemical workers in recent years has led to violence and worker suicides, with only six cases of livelihood-related suicides occurring in the Chavar petrochemical factory in the past two years. The condemnation of the death sentence against Sharifeh Mohammadi by labor unions worldwide continues. The Council for Organizing Protests of Informal Oil Workers has reiterated its support for the strike of project workers. A strike is ongoing in the Dibay paper and pulp industries in Shushtar; 350 workers are demanding the reopening of the factory and payment of wages. The second week of the water supply workers' strike in Roudbar is in protest against eight months of unpaid wages. Livelihood protests by retirees have been held in several cities in Iran, emphasizing the 'double oppression' of the government against women. Thousands of contract workers in Iran have continued their strike for the fifteenth day.