Reports from Iran’s oil and gas regions indicate that official oil employees and contract workers at South Pars Gas Refineries held protests on Tuesday, October 22, while security forces confronted the official workers in the Asaluyeh Special Economic Zone.
It is reported that several protesters were arrested by security forces. However, following protests from other workers, they were forced to release the detained workers.
The official oil employees are protesting the oil minister’s failure to implement a parliamentary resolution that exempts employees in operational zones from the unfair salary cap law.
They are also demanding the removal of unfair deductions, full payment of legal benefits that have caused widespread demotivation among employees, the elimination of retirement caps, full payment of end-of-service benefits, refunds of taxes collected unlawfully, and the non-merger of the oil retirement fund with other bankrupt funds.
Contract workers at the South Pars Gas Refineries held their twelfth week of strikes and protests on Tuesday.
These protests, known as “Protest Tuesdays,” are held weekly in response to the government’s failure to meet workers’ demands.
In recent years, protests in Iran’s oil and gas regions have been on the rise. This trend, along with growing protests from workers, retirees, teachers, nurses, and other wage earners, has led to increased security and judicial crackdowns by the Iranian regime.
Despite these crackdowns, the protests have continued to grow, especially as the living conditions for workers and other wage earners have become increasingly difficult.
Currently, the minimum monthly wage for workers covered by the Labor Law, who are married and have children, is around 110 million rials (approximately 168 USD). Meanwhile, according to estimates from labor activists who previously held government positions, the monthly cost of living has risen to about 370 to 400 million rials (approximately 565 to 611 USD).
