Hamidreza Emamgholi Tabar, an inspector of the Iranian regime’s Supreme Assembly of Workers’ Representatives, announced that the cost of a livelihood basket for a 3.3-person working class family has reached 400 million rials (approximately $494), while the average wage of workers is only 150 million rials (approximately $185), which covers only 30% of household expenses. The minimum wage for a worker with two children is around 110 million rials (approximately $136).
While some labor unions have called for a review of wage policies and the implementation of Article 41 of the Labor Law to set wages in line with living costs, government officials have announced wage increases based on the “difficulty of work.”
According to the state-run Tasnim News Agency, Emamgholi Tabar emphasized the need to increase wages, stating that around 9% of workers in some provinces receive wages below the legal standard, ranging between 70 to 80 million rials (approximately $86 to $99).
Many Workers in Iran Have to Wait Six Months to Receive Their Wages
Additionally, 35% of the labor community live on minimum means and are in challenging economic conditions.
According to this labor activist, 60% of the country’s population, equivalent to 50 million people, are covered by labor and social security programs and mainly belong to the bottom five income deciles. He stressed that any economic changes directly affect this group, and the non-implementation of Article 41 of the Labor Law in determining wages aligned with living costs has exacerbated their problems.
Referring to the 57% wage increase in 2022, Emamgholi Tabar stated that this measure has only benefited the Social Security Organization and failed to address workers’ livelihood issues. He added that increasing wages in line with inflation is the only way to improve workers’ purchasing power.
The inspector of the Supreme Assembly of Workers’ Representatives also highlighted the issue of bank loans, saying that many workers have taken loans ranging from 100 to 300 million rials (approximately $123 to $370) to cover essential expenses, with 20 to 35% of their monthly wages going toward loan repayments.
He stated that housing costs account for about 70% of the livelihood basket, making it challenging for many worker families to even afford rent for a 50-square-meter unit. Additionally, high healthcare and medical expenses have forced workers to forgo recreational activities and medical treatments, exacerbating mental health problems among them.
Meanwhile, Ahmad Meidari, Minister of Cooperatives, Labor, and Social Welfare, stated last week, “Working conditions vary across industries, and determining the minimum wage based on the minimum cost of living and inflation is not correct. This figure should be set according to the level of job difficulty in different industries.”
This situation has caused severe dissatisfaction among workers and wage earners in Iran, leading to an upward trend in their protests in recent years.
