Workers of Sarrig corporation in Bandar Abbas port, Iran, strike over delayed wages
On 7th October 2018, workers of Sarrig, a road construction corporation, went on strike in objection to the five-month delay of unpaid wages and empty promises of the governing body of the corporation.
Unpaid wages are one of the main and most urgent issues that workers face in Iran. Usually, the board of governors, the owners or the management of a company tell the workers that “there is no money” or that the “company has not made any profit” and promise the workers to pay their wages in the near future, in order to keep the workers and get them to work for free.
Many workers in various industries and sectors, including teachers and nurses, face similar issues with regards to the non-payment of wages and have experienced the empty promises of business owners and managers.
Municipality workers of Shadgan, Iran, hold assembly over unpaid wages
On 7th October 2018, municipality workers of Shadgan in Khuzestan province, Iran, stopped working and held an assembly in front of the municipality building in objection to eight months delay in payment of their wages.
The workers locked the entrance door of the municipality as a symbolic act and prevented other staff from entering the building.
Workers of water and sewage network in Khuzestan, Iran, protest unpaid wages
On 6th October 2018, workers of the water and sewage network of villages in Khuzestan, Iran, protested in front of the Labour department’s state office. The wages of the workers have not been paid for 7 to 12 months. The workers have also not received their bonuses.
The wages of the workers is as low as 1,100,000 Toman (260 USD) per month which is very low considering the high prices of goods and other expenses in Iran.
The workers blame “greedy contractors” for the low wages, the delay in payment and for their “white contracts”, which the workers are forced to accept. “White contracts” allow the employers to treat the workers any way they like, including refusing to calculate overtime pay, which is one of the issues of the protest
Workers in the wagon industry in Arak, Iran, go on strike to save jobs
On 5th October 2018, over 150 workers of Arak’s Wagon Reconstruction industry went on strike as the corporation is being handed over to the private sector and the danger of losing their jobs looms over the workers.
On the third day of their strike, the workers called for an immediate stop of the privatisation process of their industry and demanded more job security.
Usually, once a workplace is privatised, the workers’ contracts are not renewed or are being cancelled, and the workers are left without jobs or any security. In some cases the workers don’t even get paid for months of delayed wages.
Steel workers restart their protests over delayed wages in Ahwaz, Iran
On 2nd October 2018, workers of the National Group of Steel in Ahwaz, Iran, restarted their protests against the three-months delay in payment of their wages.
Previously the workers had fought for weeks to keep the factory open, and authorities who wanted to avoid the spread of the protests to the public agreed not to close the factory. The workers have returned to work but three months of their wages has not been paid so a new protest has started.
The board of governors of the factory had promised to send their representative, Mr Pahlevani, to speak with workers on 2nd October, but no one from the board of governors attended the meeting, so the workers stopped working.
The workers have said that they will continue their strike until their wages are paid.
Workers of municipality services strike over delayed wages in Ramshir, Iran
On 1st October 2018, workers of municipality services in Ramshir in Khoozestan province, Iran, went on strike over a delay in payment of their wages.
Protests and strikes over payment of delayed wages in Iran is widespread, as the authorities support businesses’ treatment of workers and don’t address the issue of non-payment or delayed payment of wages to workers.
Many workers in Iran are left with no option but to protest or go on strike after the failure of the authorities to address the issue.