Reports from Iran indicate the continuation of strikes and protest gatherings by workers of the Middle East Sugar Agro-Industry Company in Khuzestan Province, workers at the Zarshouran gold mine in Takab in West Azerbaijan Province, as well as workers and maintenance staff of railway lines and technical infrastructure in Lorestan, Zagros, and Andimeshk.
The Free Workers Union of Iran reported that the strike by workers of the Middle East Sugar Agro-Industry Company in the city of Shush continued on Thursday, December 25, for a fourth consecutive day.
Iranian Workers Have No Table to Put Food on as Poverty and Destitution Intensify
According to the report, during this period company officials, the Shush Labor Office, and other responsible institutions have remained “indifferent” to the protest and have so far taken no action to address the workers’ demands.
During the previous round of workers’ strikes held in late November, the Shush City Security Council required the employer to fulfill some of the workers’ demands. However, the employer not only failed to meet any of its legal obligations but also dismissed three workers on December 22.
Continuation of strikes at Iran’s largest gold mine
The state-run ILNA news agency reported that workers at the Zarshouran gold mine in Takab launched protests over low wages and wage-related benefits.
According to reports, workers at this mine—which the Zarshouran Mining and Mineral Industries Development Company describes as “Iran’s largest gold mine”—held another protest gathering on the tenth day of their strike.
They told ILNA that workers employed in the mine receive lower wages and benefits compared to factory staff and demanded wage increases and access to wage-related and occasion-based benefits.
ILNA quoted one of the striking workers as saying: “Factory workers receive bonuses on holidays and special occasions, but we mine workers are deprived of these benefits. Working at the Zarshouran gold mine is hard, yet our average wage is around 20 million tomans, equivalent to 200 million rials (approximately 150 dollars).”
According to reports by several media outlets, the monthly cost of living in Iran is about 58 million tomans, equivalent to 580 million rials (approximately 430 dollars).
The worker added: “We gold mine workers are contract laborers and do not receive a fair share of the hardship and suffering we endure. This is not fair. Our wage benefits must increase in line with the difficulty of our work.”
The fifth day of strikes by workers and staff in Lorestan, Zagros, and Andimeshk regions
The official Telegram channel of railway line and technical infrastructure maintenance workers and staff reported the continuation of strikes by workers and employees in the Lorestan, Zagros, and Andimeshk regions.
According to the report, workers and staff in these regions have been on strike since Sunday, December 21.
Among other issues, they are protesting low wages and are emphasizing the implementation of the law requiring the return of the Travers Company to state ownership.
Continuation of protest gatherings by employees of the Offshore Oil Company in the Kharg region
According to reports, employees of the Iranian Offshore Oil Company in the Kharg region continued their protests from previous days and, from six a.m. to twelve noon on Wednesday, December 24, gathered at the region’s cultural complex and refrained from reporting to work.
According to these reports, they stated that they would continue their gatherings until all professional and legal demands are fully met.
The protesting workers in the Kharg region are demanding “reform of employees’ minimum wages, full payment of bonuses and operational and rotational benefits to operational staff, full payment of legally mandated retirement service years, transparency in the calculation of taxes in operational areas and reimbursement of excess taxes collected under existing laws, full implementation of Article 10 and complete payment of its back pay, elimination of the division of operational jobs into specialized and support categories, and full independence of the Oil Pension Fund.”
In recent years, employees in oil regions have carried out short-term strikes and protest gatherings.
Protests by workers and retirees of Tabriz Machine Manufacturing Group against privatization policies
Workers and retirees of the Tabriz Machine Manufacturing Group also protested in a statement on Thursday against measures taken toward the “transfer of the Tabriz Machine Manufacturing and Foundry companies under lease-to-own arrangements.”
According to the state-run ILNA news agency, the statement noted that workers and employees of Tabriz Machine Manufacturing are calling for the “transfer of 100% of the shares of these companies to employees in the form of a developmental production cooperative, in accordance with the law and Article 44 of the Constitution.”
The implementation of privatization policies under the directive of Ali Khamenei, the supreme leader of the Iranian regime, has led to negative consequences, including the bankruptcy of factories and companies, delays of several months in wage payments, and the dismissal of workers.
