Workers of Haft Tappeh Gather Again in Front of the Governor's Office and Friday Prayer

On Friday, December 2, workers protesting at the Haft Tappeh Sugarcane Company held a gathering in front of the governor's office and attended Friday prayers in Shush, demanding the release of their representative and the fulfillment of their other demands on the 19th day of their strike. According to the Telegram channel of the Free Workers Union, these workers chanted slogans such as 'The imprisoned worker must be freed.' Ismail Bakhti, one of the representatives of these workers, and journalist Sepideh Ghalean remain in custody. The demands announced by the protesters include the release of these two individuals, payment of several months of overdue wages, and the return of the company's management from the private sector. On December 2, the protesting workers also attended Friday prayers in Shush once again. A week prior, a group of protesting workers had also chanted slogans during Friday prayers in the city. The Haft Tappeh Company, located in Shush County of Khuzestan Province, is one of the largest sugarcane producers in the country and was privatized last year. This company has faced widespread labor unrest and protests for several months due to unpaid wages. The new wave of protests by Haft Tappeh workers emerged following reports of the fleeing or imprisonment of the private employer of this unit. Ali Ashraf Pouri Hosseini, the head of the Privatization Organization, announced that one of the owners of this company is in prison, while the other has fled. Gholamreza Shariati, the governor of Khuzestan, announced on Thursday that '8 billion tomans for one month' of overdue wages had been deposited into the workers' accounts. Meanwhile, Karim Yavari, the representative of the Minister of Cooperatives, Labor, and Social Welfare regarding the Haft Tappeh workers' case, stated that the factory's operations would resume on Saturday. However, the Haft Tappeh Workers' Syndicate called on all workers, independent organizations, and international labor institutions on Friday to spare no effort in completely resolving the cases of the freed workers and the release of Ismail Bakhti and Sepideh Ghalean. Alongside the ongoing strike of Haft Tappeh workers in Shush, workers from the National Steel Group in Ahvaz are also on strike. Their demands include 'payment of four months of overdue wages,' 'resumption of production and supply of raw materials,' 'establishment of social and supplementary insurance,' and 'attention to the living conditions of workers.' Some workers from this complex have been arrested in recent months due to their participation in labor protests. In this context, the release of 15 Haft Tappeh workers and the continued detention of five protesters, security and judicial pressures on Haft Tappeh and National Industrial Steel workers, and contradictory news about the fate of the private employer of Haft Tappeh are notable. The protests by Haft Tappeh workers and the National Steel Group in Ahvaz continue, with the government suppressing these movements severely, raising concerns about the potential for protests to go underground. Reports from doctors and eyewitnesses about the injured during the protests reveal the gravity of the situation. Furthermore, the limitations on relations between China and Iran have become apparent amid the protests.