Workers are facing multiple problems in the final days of the year. On one hand, their meager wages do not cover the cost of living, and on the other hand, any protest leads to their dismissal from work.
The result of this situation is the unfortunate reality that we currently witness in the news: protests, “dismissals,” and “suicides,” which reflect the dark times for workers in Iran.
As we approach the end of the year, the concern over wages and percentage increases in salaries has once again been added to the list of worries. Many past demands remain unanswered, and the tables are becoming emptier every day.
The state-run ILNA news agency has addressed this issue, using the problems and damages that workers face as an excuse. Is blocking the entry cards of workers legal? This happened recently in the case of protesting workers at the National Steel Company in Ahvaz.
The news agency has also urged the Ministry of Labor to intervene in punishing employers without establishing a “committee” for their violations.
This news agency, which is affiliated with the Worker House organization, has emphasized that some managers and employers take unauthorized measures to deal with workers, resorting to “illegal” methods.
It has been announced that the critical conditions of workers’ livelihoods have led to increased dissatisfaction among the workforce in society, and workers from various units have resorted to protest gatherings to pursue their demands, such as the “implementation of job classification plan,” “enjoyment of job benefits,” and “payment of arrears.”
According to ILNA, both public and private sector employers have resorted to closing the workers’ entry cards and preventing their access to the premises in response to workers’ demands and protests about the current conditions.
It has also been announced that in some units, workers have faced severe consequences such as dismissal or salary cuts after protesting wage conditions or demanding the implementation of the job classification plan.
The critical conditions of workers have resulted in consequences such as “suicides,” and in this regard, in recent days, two workers in the “Chovar” petrochemical company have committed suicide.
According to the media reports, this action was taken in response to the prohibition of entering the workplace by the employer. The workers of the Chovar petrochemical factory in Ilam Province also claim that the factory manager carried out a mass dismissal and told 13 workers that they were no longer needed.
In another incident, workers from all sections of the Iranian National Steel Industrial Group in Ahvaz went on strike on Saturday, December 23, following the managing director’s action of prohibiting the entry of 21 workers and failure to fully implement the job classification plan.
The strike continued for two consecutive days, and Ali Mohammad, the group’s CEO, announced in response to the strike that the prohibition of 21 workers from work was done in “coordination and decision of the Khuzestan Provincial Supply Council” so that, according to him, “the gatherings would not lead to the shutdown of production lines.”
According to Article 48 of the Labor Law, the job classification plan must be implemented for all workshops with more than 50 employees covered by the Social Security Law.
According to this legal article, in order to prevent the exploitation of other jobs, the Ministry of Labor is obligated to prepare and implement the job evaluation and classification system using the job standards and customs in the country.
