-27th April 2019 – 11 workers and students organisations have called for an assembly in front of the Islamic Majles (Islamic parliament) in Tehran to celebrate International Workers’ Day. The call comes after a workers’ assembly for 1st of May in Karaj was attacked by police and security forces and 12 people were arrested. 8 were later released, but the others are still in custody. The aggression against the workers received widespread condemnation from workers’ organisations. Some workers in others provinces have also been summoned by the Revolutionary Guard Corps and Intelligence Services of the Islamic Republic and were told not to participate in 1st of May celebrations.
-26th April 2019 – Rail workers in Iran called for a national strike and protests over unpaid wages. Rail workers in different parts of Iran have struggled with non-payment of wages and have held several assemblies but the issue continues. So far, workers in Khorasan, Zagros, Lorestan, Hormozgan, Azerbaijan, Tehran, Islamshahr, Robat Karim, Shahroud, Semnan, Damqan, and South Zahedan have joined the call for protests and strikes.
-25th April 2019 – Staff of Khomeini Hospital in Dehdasht in Kohgiluyeh and Boyer-Ahmad province went on strike and protested against not being paid 6 months of their wages. The hospital workers had held another protest in June 2018 over unpaid wages.
-25th 2019 – A number of staff of the Ministry of Education in Nourabad in Lorestan province resigned in protest over non-payment of their wages and bonuses.
-27th April 2019 – Preschool teachers from various provinces held an assembly in front of the Ministry of Education and protested against the very low wages they receive and job insecurity. The teachers’ wage is 1500000 Rial (9.5 Euro) per month. The teachers have called for a national protest on May 2nd in front of the offices of the Ministry of Education in different cities.
-20th April 2019 – Retired workers of the Long Distance Telecommunication Industry in Iran published an open letter in which they objected to the way their retirement is being handled. The workers want the Public and Revolutionary Court of Shiraz to pursue their case.
-20th April 2019 – Textile workers of the Yazdbaf factory in Yazd held an assembly in the factory and protested against non-payment of their wages. The workers are owed 20 months of wages and bonuses.
-22nd April 2019 – Workers of the Dorud – Khorramabad railway project in Lorestan province, held an assembly in front of the provincial governor’s office and protested against the suspension of the project which has left them unemployed.
-On 10th February 2019, municipality workers in Kermanshah, Iran, held an assembly to protest against non-payment of their wages. The workers who haven’t been paid for 4 months and haven’t received 8 months of their overtime pay gathered in front of the municipality building, demanding immediate payment of their wages. Many of the workers are on temporary contracts and some of them are paid less than minimum wage.
-On 16th April 2019, a group of unemployed youths gathered in Arvandkenar in Khuzestan province, Iran, in front of Arvandkenar Hospital to demand jobs. Unemployment has been on the rise because of the collapse of the economy in Iran. Recently, as a result of the devastating floods, more people have lost their jobs and more workplaces have closed. The unemployed in Iran do not receive any kind of benefits. Workers and unemployed workers in Iran demand wages above the poverty line and unemployment benefits.
-On 16th April 2019, workers of petrol stations in Tehran held an assembly in front of the Ministry of Oil and protested against the non-payment of their wages from the year before and against low wages. The workers demanded immediate payment of their outstanding wages and a wage rise.
-On 16th April 2019, workers of Kovsar Tile factory in Abarkooh in Yazd province, held another assembly and protested against the expulsion of workers and unpaid wages. The workers say that the employers have used excuses such as “bad financial situation of the business” and “lack of need for the workers” to expel 60 workers over the past two months. There are now 90 workers left in the factory and they have not been paid for months.
-On 14th April 2019, 400 railway workers in Lorestan province, continued their strike for a second day. The workers are protesting over unpaid wages and insurance contributions. The protest took place in front of the main railway offices in Khorramabad.
-On 15th April 2019, 48 teachers in Kohgiluyeh and Boyer-Ahmad province went on strike in objection to unpaid bonuses for the past three years. The teachers say that they live in poverty and many of their colleagues consider leaving the job as they can’t make ends meet.
-On 15th April 2019, steelworkers of the Steel National Group of Ahvaz in Khuzestan province, released a statement in which they raised concerns over the non-payment of wages and two production lines being closed. The workers have not been paid for two months and raw materials are not being supplied for some production lines. The workers say that if the wages are not paid and the owners continue to threaten the closure of production lines, they will restart their protests and strike.
-On 15th April 2019, workers of Neka Wood in Minadorood in Mazandaran province, held an assembly to protest against the non-renewal of their contracts. The contracts of the 600 workers are about to end on 21st April and the employer refuses to renew them.
-On 15th April 2019, 33 builders associations in Iran issued a statement and objected to a 50% increase in their insurance fees. The workers say that low wages and high inflation have already put them under immense financial pressure and that they can’t afford such increase in their insurance fees. In the statement, the associations stated that if the authorities failed to bring down the insurance prices by 21st April, there would be assemblies and protests, and that the workers would raise the issues on the International Workers Day, 1st of May.
-On 13th April 2019, rail workers in Lorestan province, Iran, held an assembly in front of Railways’ central office building of the province and protested against non-payment of their wages and insurance contributions. The workers have contracts with Travers Contractors Company which employs 400 rail-workers in Lorestan.
-On 8th April 2019, retired sugar cane workers of Haft Tapeh in Ahvaz in Khuzestan province, Iran, held an assembly in the factory and protested against non-payment of their 2016 and 2017 bonuses.