Rouhani's Promise to Workers; Protest Slogans During Speech

Hassan Rouhani, the President of Iran, promised on Monday, May 1, during his speech at the International Workers' Day ceremony, to withdraw the labor law amendment bill from the Islamic Consultative Assembly. Official workers' organizations in Iran claim that if approved, this bill would strip workers of job security, and these organizations have been in extensive correspondence with Rouhani's government on this matter for a long time, but have not reached any conclusion so far. According to IRNA news agency, Rouhani, speaking at the tomb of Ruhollah Khomeini, stated: 'Today we must say we are thinking of a better future for workers.' Based on audio versions released from this speech, a group of workers present at the venue chanted slogans protesting the government's performance regarding labor rights. The Iranian Labor News Agency, ILNA, also reported that the protesting workers were described as 'disturbers.' Among the slogans heard at this ceremony was: 'Today is a day of mourning, today is a day of mourning, the life of the worker is in ruins today.' The Iranian President added in his speech: 'Let us ask the Minister of Welfare, Labor, and Cooperatives whether the bill submitted to the parliament in the previous government has the satisfaction of all workers or not, and he said they are not satisfied. I said to prepare the grounds for withdrawing the bill, and I announce that we will withdraw the bill from the parliament.' The 'Labor Law Amendment' was presented to the parliament by Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's government in 2012 but was not reviewed in the ninth parliament. This bill was later submitted to the parliament with the approval of the eleventh government in July 2016 and was again put on the agenda of the parliament's specialized commission. The return of the labor law amendment bill from the Islamic Consultative Assembly to the government has long become the most significant challenge between workers and employers in Iran and has led to protests by workers in front of the parliament. According to the website of the Union of Free Workers of Iran, with the change in the labor law, employers, including the government, will be able to freeze or even reduce wages under the pretext of the country's economic conditions. At the same time, mass layoffs will become legal, and the government and employers will be able to dismiss workers without hassle. Furthermore, based on these changes, the government and employers will not be required to sign written contracts with workers. Mohammad Mahdi Heydarian, the Deputy Minister of Social and Cultural Affairs of the Ministry of Cooperatives, Labor, and Social Welfare, however, in response to the widespread protests and criticisms from labor organizations regarding the government's labor law amendment bill, stated that 'with the reform of the labor law, job security for workers will be preserved, and the interests and rights of both workers and employers will be met.' One day before Hassan Rouhani's speech on Labor Day, Ali Khamenei, the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic, also delivered a speech on the eve of Labor Day, stating that 'despite the efforts of enemies, workers have always supported the system.' He emphasized 'ensuring job security' for workers and said that 'the working community has always been alongside and with the system and will continue to be so by God's grace.' On the same day as Khamenei's speech, it was reported that three labor organizations in Iran issued a joint statement on the occasion of May 1, International Workers' Day, demanding an increase in the monthly minimum wage from 930,000 tomans to 4 million tomans this year and emphasized the necessity of paying overdue wages and abolishing blank signature contracts. Hossein Zolfaqari, the Deputy Minister of Security and Law Enforcement of the Ministry of Interior, recently announced that 'social, labor, and professional protests in Iran have increased by 69% over the past three years.' In this context, hundreds of workers gathered in front of the parliament to protest the 'Labor Law Amendment' bill.