The Organizing Council of Contracted Oil Workers’ Protests reports that the workers currently working on non-industrial job sites have gone on strike to object the long work hours and low wages. The strike and gatherings are reported to have started on January 15. One of the urgent demands of the strikers is the classification plan of their jobs.
The Council also reports on January 24 that the workers in ODCC Petrochemicals at Gach-saran gathered at the workshop and demanded confirmation of their employment status. According to the news, Gach-saran Petrochemical shareholders decided to replace Tehran South Company ODCC workers and ordered lay-off settlements of more than 200 workers of this complex. This decision is related to the heartbreaking incident of the petrochemical ambulance explosion that occurred on December 17th which led to the death of one of the part time workers, Mehdi Habibi, at the petrochemical complex. ODCC company denies responsibility and plans to leave the complex without carrying out administrative procedures and/or taking responsibility for this incident.
Protests in different sectors of oil industry are spreading. There are reports of preparations for an industry-wide strike among the permanent workers planned for January 17th . Implementation of Article 10 of the Labour Law, the ten-year retroactive pay of their compensation, reduction of unjustly high income tax, raising the job sites’ health and safety standards, and a better health care plan are among the stated demands of the striking workers. These workers staged country-wide protest gatherings on December 17th and 31st for these demands. Strikes and protests in the oil industry are key to the national labour protests.
January 16,2023