-Retired teachers in Iran call for an assembly to protest embezzlement of their funds
Retired teachers in Iran have called for an assembly in front of the office of the Teachers’ Pensions on 11th November 2018 in objection to the poverty that has been imposed on them as well as embezzlement of their pensions.
According to general director of the Teachers’ Pensions fund, Mr Mehdi Nikdel, the amount of the embezzled funds is 8 billion Iranian Rial which is about USD 200,000.
One of the demands of teachers and retired teachers in Iran is clarity on financial affairs of the agencies and the factories that are owned by the fund. Other demands of teachers and the retired teachers include the right to appoint the board of directors of the fund, return of the stolen money and the abolishment of the high salaries the current directors and managers receive.
Teachers and retired teachers have highlighted their objection to embezzlements and the high payouts to corrupt managers and directors in their previous protests.
-Railway workers in Iran go on strike for the third time this year
On 27th October 2018, railway workers in some provinces started their strike that the Coordinating Council of Workers’ Protests and workers of Railway Maintenance called for.
Railway workers in Hormozgan, Shahrood, Damghan, Semnan, Zagros and Lorestan started the strike and held assemblies in their workplaces. Also, workers of Diesel Engine Maintenance didn’t turn up for work.
The railway workers are on strike for the third time this year over unpaid wages and bonuses. The first strike happened between 20th July and 8th August, and the second strike between 25th and 27th August. The workers agreed to stop the strike as some of their demands were met and the authorities made promises to address the renaming issues. The failure of the authorities to fulfil their promises to workers triggered the current strike.
The striking workers have outlined their urgent demands of all railway workers in Iran:
Full payment of unpaid wages – and announcement of the exact date for the payments, Payment of medical insurance, Abolishment of temporary contracts, Offer of permanent contracts, Right to organise, Right to assembly – whenever the workers need to raise any issues they have, Immediate stop to expulsion of workers, Non-payment of wages for 6 months triggers strike in Gas Refinery in Khuzestan, Iran
Railway workers in Iran go on national strike after the authorities fail to fulfil promises
-The Railway Line Coordinating Council in Iran has called for a national strike between 27th October and 1st November 2018 after the authorities failed to fulfil promises following months of negotiation and protests.
-On 24th October 2018, workers of Bilband Gas Refinery in Behnahan, Khuzestan province in Iran went on strike in objection to the non-payment of 6 months of their wages.
Workers and staff of the refinery had held assemblies and gone on strike in June but the authorities have failed to address the urgent issues the workers face.
The workers who already struggled to make ends meet as a result of high prices of goods, low wages and high inflation, can’t afford to pay for their day-to-day basic needs when the wages are delayed.
Dam workers hold assembly in workplace over non-payment of wages in Gachsaran, Iran
-On 23rd October 2018, over 500 workers of the Chamshir Dam of Gachsaran in Kohgiluyeh and Boyer-Ahmad province, Iran held an assembly in their workplace and protested the non-payment of their wages for 10 months.
The workers have protested the issues several times but the authorities refuse to pay the delayed wages, that has put the workers under lots of financial pressure.
The workers struggle to pay for their very basic day-to-day needs on the low wages and for high prices of goods, as well as inflation. The non-payment of wages put the workers and their families in a very difficult position.
Threat of mass expulsion of workers sparks strike in special economic zone in the south of Iran
Municipality workers in Ahvaz, Iran, go on strike over non-payment of wages and bonuses
-On 23rd October 2018, Green Space municipality workers of Ahvaz, in southern Iran, went on strike over non-payment of their wages.
The workers have been facing the issue of non-payment of wages and delayed wages for several years, but the employers refuse to deal with the matter.
The workers are already in a difficult situation, owing to high prices of goods, inflation and wages below the poverty line, and the refusal of the employers and authorities to deal with the issue of non-payment of wages and bonuses has forced the workers to go on strike.
Workers and staff of Well Services Corporation hold assembly over delayed wages in Ahvaz, Iran
-On 23rd October 2018, all the workers and staff of Well Services Corporation who work on drilling oil and gas wells in Ahvaz, southern Iran, held an assembly and protested over their unpaid wages.
The workers and staff held banners demanding the immediate payment of their wages and bonuses that remain unpaid for 7 months.
There have been many protests and strikes in Iran in objection to the delay in payment of wages which puts workers under extreme financial pressure.
Firefighters protest unpaid wages of all of the municipality staff of Shadegan, Iran
-On 22nd October 2018, a group of firefighters protested over unpaid wages of more than 300 staff of Shadegan municipality in Khuzestan province in Iran.
The firefighters held their assembly in front of the office of the governor of Khuzestan and demanded the immediate payment of 9 months of delayed wages of the staff.
Non-payment of wages and delay in payments is a widespread issue in Iran that affects many people. Workers and staff in different industries and workplaces face this issue and struggle to make ends meet on a daily basis.
The issue has triggered many strikes and protests in Iran.
-On 21st October 2018, contract workers of Pars Special Zone in Bushehr province in southern Iran went on strike in objection to threats of mass expulsion of workers.
The employers announced the abolishment of “rotation work” contracts which will mean for many of the workers that they have to either leave or agree to new and unacceptable conditions.
The workers who carry out work in remote locations such as on oil rigs, gas wells or on oil platforms in the sea for two weeks at a time and then take two weeks off to spend with their families, will have to either leave or move their families to the locations.
The “take it or leave it” deal that has been put in front of the workers demands from them to relocate their families to locations with no signs of civilisation, so in reality the workers are forced to leave their jobs.
-Pars Special Zone that is known for its harsh conditions and lack of standards, is very similar to other economic special zones such as Asaluyeh which has for a long time been a battleground of workers and employers over workers’ rights, standard of life and working conditions.
Municipality workers of Sushtar in Iran strike over non-payment of wages
-On 17th October 2018, more than 400 municipality workers of Shushtar city in Khuzestan province, Iran, continued the third day of their strike over three months non-payment of their wages.
Workers of different sectors of the municipality have joined the strike as they are owed up to 6 months of wages and insurance payment.
The workers also have other demands:
-Immediate payment of the delayed wages, -Permanent contracts for the workers, -Job security for the workers , -Right to assembly, -A set date for receiving monthly payments
Municipality workers of Sushtar in Iran strike over non payment of wages
-On 17th October 2018, more than 400 municipality workers of Shushtar city in Khuzestan province, Iran, continued the third day of their strike over three months non payment of their wages.
Workers of different sectors of the municipality have joined the strike as they owe up to 6 months of unpaid wages and insurance payment.
The workers also have other demands:
Immediate payment of the delayed wages, Permanent contracts for the workers, Job security for the workers, Right to assembly, A set date for receiving monthly payment
Before the strike, workers of different sectors of Shushtar Municipality had protested over the issues but the authorities failed to address the issues.
Retired workers and their representatives march towards Iranian Parliament
-Today, 16th October 2018, retired workers and representatives from different cities in Iran protested in front of the office of Organisation of Programming and Budget in Tehran.
Representatives of retired workers from the provinces of Mazandaran, Gilan, Khorasan, Azarbaijan, Ardabil, and Fars came to Tehran for the protest. Over 1000 people attended the demonstration.
The retried workers and the representatives held placards and chanted slogans. The demands and objections of the retired workers included:
No to embezzlements. No to discriminations, Lack of access to healthcare, No to wages below the poverty line, Free education for all children, Free healthcare for all, Immediate release of all imprisoned teachers
In their slogans, the retired workers highlighted their rejection of any kind of discrimination and inequality. After the assembly the retired workers marched towards the Iranian parliament and called on the rest of society to support them.
The gathering was called by the Union of Retirees and National Union of Retirees. The Coordination Council of Teachers’ Association supported the gathering and stated that in case the demands of the retired workers are not met, the organisation would do everything in its power to claim the violated rights of their retired colleagues.
The Free Union of Workers in Iran also supported the move by the Teachers’ Association and National Union of Retirees.
Second day of Teachers’ National Strike receives popular support in Iran
-On 15th October 2018, teachers in Iran held their second day of a national strike. The Coordination Council of Teachers’ Association called on teachers to not teach classes in objection to inflation, high expenses and an unprecedented decline of purchasing power.
Teachers went on strike and in their sit-ins held placards with their demands. The second day saw the strike expand to more than 54 cities in different provinces.
Teachers held placards that reflected their demands including:
Free education for all, Release of all imprisoned teachers, An end to the privatisation of schools, An end to the commercialisation of education, Raising wages above the poverty line, Free healthcare for all, Right to assembly, Right to organise
The Coordination Council of Teachers’ Association also stressed these points as well as the violation of the right to free pubic education, imprisonment of teachers, unsafe schools, discrimination in the education system and embezzlement from teachers’ funds and pensions.
One of the main demands of teachers in Iran is the release of their colleagues:
Esmail Abdi, Mohammad Habibi, Mahmood Beheshti, Rouhollah Mardani
The teachers’ strike has received lots of support from society. Many popular online groups have supported the strike and the teachers’ demands.
Several workers’ organisations including “Etehadieh Azad e Kargaran” (Free Workers Union Of Iran) and “Sandicaye Neishekar e Haftabeh” (Sugarcane Union of Haftapeh) have sent warm messages of support and solidarity for the striking teachers.
-On 14th October, on the first day of the strike, Mohammadreza Ramazanzadeh, director of the Strike Coordination Council was arrested and the regime’s “cyber army” tried to sabotage the teachers’ Telegram group. Despite these typical attempts from the authorities to derail the strike, the teachers held a very successful strike that attracted society’s attention and gained the support of many in Iran.