The state-run ILNA news agency reported that although officials of the Iranian regime have emphasized the continued operation of public service agencies under the current conditions, many workers in southern Iran have gone months without receiving their wages. Despite being required to report to work during wartime conditions, they are still waiting to be paid.
On Sunday, July 19, ILNA wrote that municipal parks and green space workers in Chabahar and workers on construction projects at Shahid Beheshti Port in Sistan and Baluchestan Province are facing unpaid wages and job insecurity. Reports from Bushehr and Hormozgan provinces also indicate similar problems for workers.
According to the report, unbearable heat, repeated water and electricity outages, and soaring prices have placed additional pressure on working-class households. This situation has been compounded in southern Iranian provinces by unpaid wages, wartime conditions, and insecurity.
ILNA added: “At a time when the country is facing critical conditions, some of these very workers are among the first responders who, following wartime incidents, are responsible for clearing affected areas, maintaining municipal services, and restoring normal conditions.”
In recent days, attacks by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) on commercial vessels in the Strait of Hormuz have led to an escalation of regional hostilities.
On July 8, U.S. President Donald Trump described these attacks as a violation of the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding and announced the end of the ceasefire with the Iranian regime.
Since then, the U.S. military has carried out strikes against Iranian regime positions, particularly in southern Iran.
Criticism of the Situation of Contract Workers Under Wartime Conditions
Abdollah Mokhtari, a labor activist, said in a July 19 interview with ILNA that contract workers have been neglected despite wartime conditions, extreme heat, and economic pressures. He said executive affairs, decision-making, benefits, and resources have been placed in the hands of “a particular group.”
He added: “The contractor takes part of the worker’s wages under the pretext of contract management and overhead costs, profits from it, and then after some time does not even pay the remaining wages, using the worker as a slave.”
He continued: “The worker who is out on the streets today providing services has still not been paid. But if you examine the salary statements of managers, you will see that they have requested increased compensation because of the wartime conditions.”
In recent months, rising inflation and sharp increases in the prices of essential goods have imposed significant economic pressure on households, creating serious livelihood challenges for a large portion of society.
Following the escalation of hostilities between the United States and the Iranian regime, foreign currency exchange rates in Iran’s free market have continued to rise, with the U.S. dollar surpassing its previous record to exceed 1.93 million rials.
Providing Services in High-Risk Areas Without Adequate Support
Mokhtari went on to discuss the situation of municipal service workers, firefighters, and emergency personnel during crises, noting that when incidents occur, managers merely issue orders, while these frontline workers must enter high-risk areas, clear the environment, and restore normal conditions.
The labor activist said that despite the dangers these workers face, officials have provided them with no support package or special guidelines, and in many cases even their wages and overtime pay have not been paid.
On June 20, the Coordinating Council of Iranian Teachers’ Trade Associations warned in a statement that nearly 90% of the income of a large portion of wage earners is spent on food, leaving nothing for housing, healthcare, or education.
